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Fringe at Torino Jazz Festival

The Fringe Torino Jazz Festival from 26th – 30th April, runs parallel to the main events. Organised by a group of dedicated local musicians, technical experts, video makers and web communicators including Ivan Bert, Francesco “Pisti” Pistoi, Ugo “Hugo” Basile, Furio di Castri, Mauro Battisti, Emanuele Cisi and Alessandro Tannoia; the 2013 programme promises to be one to remember following on from the huge success of last year’s first Jazz Festival in Turin. “It will be amazing - anything but cheap and cheesy…,” says local jazz trumpeter Ivan Bert.

Ivan tells me that the inspiration for the Fringe events is a reflection of the beliefs held true by our local musicians from the underground jazz scene, whose passion for jazz, improvisation, sound mixing, innovation, experimentation, and the hypnotic weaving of emotions and tales through instruments, brings together an eclectic mix of local, national and international artists with an emphasis on giving an equal voice to young talents as well as older ones.

The five day musical journey and sets, were originally scheduled to take place in the suitably atmospheric bars and clubs of Murazzi, as last year, with the river Po being the central focus for the opening ‘Urlo dei Murazzi’(Music on the River Po). Jazz soloists on saxophone, double bass and trumpet play a five minute set from a spot-lit, floating platform in the centre of the river, every evening at 11pm. However, this year, due to the recent closure of many of the Murazzi nightspots, Fringe organisers were forced to throw a plan B into action at short notice and with a vastly reduced budget.

So, this year’s hotspots for jazz imbued evenings will still feature the atmospheric ‘Urlo dei Murazzi’ and chart a journey along Murazzi that will include Magazzino sul Po (Giancarlo 2), a specially erected stage, ‘Fringe Stage’, on the right side of Murazzi, accompanied by catering sponsor ‘Marachella’, famous for its freshly prepared, slow food inspired fare that will be on hand to refuel the musicians, organisers and public alike. Societa` Canottieri Esperia, on the opposite side of the river will also be home to a series of sets.

The journey then progresses into Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the streets around via Po, in bars and clubs, in a reflection of the places where many of the local musicians play sets on a regular basis. These include: Lab (Piazza v. Veneto, 13), La Drogheria (Piazza v. Veneto, 18), Café des Arts (via Principe Amedeo, 33), Café del Progresso (Corso San Maurizio, 69), Blah Blah (via Po, 21) and Museo di Scienze Naturali (via Giolitti, 36). There will also be live music and marching bands each evening in Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

Fringe in the Box, a new feature of the festival and innovative project and brainchild of locals Ugo “Hugo” Basile and Francesco “Pisti” Pistoi (who is also the organiser of the internationally acclaimed Vertical Stage Sessions), will also be in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, in an apartment above Bar Flora. Sampling and remixing fragments of notes and a patchwork of parts of personal sounds from around fifty musicians featuring at the festival, Ivan Bert will also be on hand to interview the international mix of DJs and music producers from cities such as, London, Berlin and New York, for a music and video documentary. Ivan explains that, “Fringe in the Box is a multi-media export concept featuring live electronic dance musicians and producers working in collaboration through performance, video and photography; a ready-packaged brand that can potentially be unpacked and ready to go as an integral or linking feature of annual music, cinema and arts festivals around the globe.”

I asked Franceso “Pisti” Pistoi, “If it rains over the next five days, what is the backup plan for the outdoor sets?” The reply – “…umbrellas..!”