A true festival of song, with two concerts to the fore. The first, the brilliant duo of Gino Paoli and Danilo Rea, the singer-songwriter playing the part of the inspired crooner entertained by his equally brilliant accompanist, and the accompanist who as well as performing on behalf of his singer, also played a number of pieces combining a number of Italian classics (written not only by Paoli, but also by a number of fellow songwriters) with selected American classics.
The other incredible concert was a Brazilian affair starring the cell trio led by Jacques Morelenbaum, together with the superb voice of his wife Paula. A Festival of song, in fact, with a full programme topped by the expertise and innovation of Kurt Elling, the greatest living exponent of his kind, while the up-and-coming talent, Gregory Porter, enthused the public with his authoritative timbre, but was let down by the quality of his accompanying band. Finally, the vocal section was completed by the latest discovery to emerge from Umbria Jazz, Dee Alexander. The Festival ended with the announcement of the winners of the Top Jazz 2012 awards, the “Oscar Awards” of Italian jazz.
