Roberto Ottaviano & Robert Luft | Pietro Tonolo Quartet

Shows

At a historical moment when the jazz scene—from Italy to the wider world—is revealing new facets thanks to the generations of musicians who emerged in the 2000s, Vicenza Jazz has consistently reminded us how the history of this music has been shaped with continuity by earlier generations. The second double saxophone concert—this time tenor and soprano—scheduled for Saturday, May 23, once again at the Ridotto of the Teatro Comunale di Vicenza, thus takes on particular significance.

The evening opens with a performance by saxophonist Roberto Ottaviano—a key figure in Italian jazz who has written important chapters in the European scene—in duo with guitarist Rob Luft, a young British talent whose career is already international in scope, capable of combining technique and creativity in a modern, elegant style. Ottaviano has graced international stages for nearly fifty years, following a stylistic and linguistic path closely aligned with what we now call the historic avant-gardes. His numerous collaborations confirm this: Mal Waldron, Nexus, Reggie Workman, Albert Mangelsdorff, Giorgio Gaslini, Enrico Rava, Steve Swallow, Pierre Favre, Kenny Wheeler, Keith Tippett, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Glenn Ferris, Karl Berger, Stefano Battaglia, Han Bennink, and Michel Godard.

Following this, the live performance of Pietro Tonolo, the Venetian saxophonist and composer, one of the most prominent figures in European jazz, thanks to a long career marked by collaborations with international artists in established groups such as those led by Enrico Rava and Rita Marcotulli, as well as the Gil Evans Orchestra and the Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band. He has also, of course, led his own groups, including collaborations with Gil Goldstein, Joe Chambers, and Jorge Rossy.

Tonolo will perform with a new quartet featuring his longtime collaborator Giancarlo Bianchetti on guitar, alongside the young yet already highly regarded Gabriele Evangelista on double bass and Bernardo Guerra on drums, both raised in the vibrant Tuscan school (we remember them on Via dei Matti n°0 on Rai 3, providing the rhythm section for Stefano Bollani).

Roberto Ottaviano in duo with Rob Luft

Saxophonist Roberto Ottaviano is a central figure in Italian jazz, renowned for his contributions to the European jazz scene and his inventive, expressive playing. He joins forces with British guitarist Rob Luft, a rising international talent known for his modern, elegant style and ability to fuse technical mastery with creativity. Together, their duo blends experience and youthful innovation in a dialogue that is both sophisticated and vibrant.

Pietro Tonolo Quartet

Thanks to the quality and experience of its leader and the extremely high calibre of its three partners, saxophonist Pietro Tonolo's quartet, with Gabriele Evangelista on double bass, Giancarlo Bianchetti on guitar and Bernardo Guerra on drums, is one of the most interesting groups on the contemporary scene: the repertoire, balanced between original compositions and standards, explores soundscapes in which composition and improvisation coexist in a great polyrhythmic balance.

Pietro Tonolo Quartet

Roberto Ottaviano duo