Umbria Jazz 16 begins with the concert of Massimo Ranieri at the Arena Santa Giuliana. As the regular spectators know, even this year, the program has offered quality music to meet everyone’s taste. The Festival revolves around the formula that combines great music and Perugia’s charm: a concentration of history, art and traditions. This is the identity that makes Umbria Jazz, since the beginning, a unique event in the Italian music scene.

As has been done for 14 years, the great events happen at the Arena where many artists have performed: Mika, Buddy Guy, Diana Krall, Stefano Bollani, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny & Ron Carter, the Steps Ahead reunion, the original partnership of John Scofield, Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana, Marcus Miller, the Branford Marsalis quartet with Kurt Elling, Melody Gardot, George Clinton.

The concerts in the two city theaters (Bach’s interpretation by Ramin Barhami and Danilo Rea, Roberto Gatto, The Golden Circle, Fabrizio Bosso’s “Duke” tribute, Jacob Collier, Ezio Bosso, Gianluca Petrella Cosmic Renaissance and many more) offer quality music for true jazz lovers.

Open-air stages (free music in the square) represent continuity with the Festival of the origins and its popular vocation. It will be fun with Fred Wesley’s funk, Pedrito Martinez’s Cuban rhythm, Allan Harris’s classic vocalism, Ray Gelato’s swing-jive, and, of course, Funk Off.

The 2016 edition has offered important novelties or, more precisely, returns. Besides the traditional festival venues, there are two symbolic spaces of Perugia: the basilica di San Pietro where Paolo Fresu will present two new productions, one of which is original and the result of the collaboration between Umbria Jazz and Sagra Musicale Umbra; and the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria where artist under the Tuk Music label and the young prodigy Joey alexander (13) will perform at the noontime concerts. In addition, the Gallery hosts a photo exhibition by Silvia Lelli and Roberto Masotti. Speaking of collaborations with cultural institutions of Perugia, Mario Raja re-interprets Duke Ellington’s Such Sweet Thunder with the orchestra of the Conservatory for the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.

Lastly, for the 31st year, the classes of Berklee College of Music of Boston, which began yesterday, will allow about 200 students to deepen the jazz language with teachers and the teaching method of the most famous American popular music school.

Umbria Jazz 16 focuses on confirming itself as a great international event that is strongly connected to the territory, representing history, culture, beauty and contemporaneity. To have an idea of the complexity of this event, consider that there are almost 240 events involving 450 musicians in ten days, with eight stages, plus two restaurants and the city center is the stage for the marching band. Moreover, 300 people are involved in the organization, and 150 journalists, photographers and TV operators are credited, including people from China and Japan.