Castro Jazz Festival ed. 2025

The third season of the Castro Jazz Festival will be an edition with a higher involvement of enthusiasts than ever before. This festival, dedicated to jazz music, will transform the beautiful Salento town into a true musical capital for a week, from August 24 to 30. Thanks to the international prestige of its guests and the quality of the events planned between the Aragonese Castle and other significant places in the city, all with free entry and aimed at making the audience an active part, including jam sessions designed to allow all jazz musicians to perform.

The festival is organized by the “Bud Powell” Jazz Cultural Association of Maglie, active since 2009 in the field of educational and musical dissemination activities, with the contributions of the Presidency of the Regional Council of Puglia and the Municipality of Castro - and under the patronage of the Province of Lecce, the “Terre a Levante” Union of Municipalities, the “Tito Schipa” Music Conservatory of Lecce, and MIDJ - Italian Jazz Musicians.

The musical events will open at 9 PM on August 24 with a special concert featuring compositions created by various musicians during the composition course led by the Italian-Belgian musician Gabriele di Franco. On August 25, the festival will feature the performance of the Vittorio Solimene quartet, winner of the contest organized in 2024 by the “Italia Jazz Club” association, a partner of the Castro Jazz Festival. On August 26, Stefano Luigi Mangia and Giorgia Santoro will perform with Paolo Damiani, while on the 27th, a welcome return: the David Linx trio will take the stage. On the 28th, there will be a live performance by Marco Colonna, enriched by the presence of Enrico Zanisi, Stefano Senni, and Alessandro Paternesi, along with other surprise guests who will make the evening even more engaging.

On August 29, there will be “Walkin’ in Castro,” a walk in the historic center in collaboration with the Atena APS association, during which clarinetist Marco Colonna will perform on the terrace of the Aragonese Castle, while Piervincenzo Occhineri will play at the archaeological excavations. The Soundpainting ensemble directed by Angelo Urso will enhance the walk along the walls, with the participation of Marco Colonna. The day will conclude in Piazza Perotti, where some groups from the Castro Jazz Summer School and the Large Ensemble will perform.

The festival will close on Saturday, August 30, with a rich program of events: at 6 PM, the performance of children participating in the Kids’ School of Jazz; at 7 PM in Piazza Perotti, the concert of participants of the Castro Jazz Summer School. At 9 PM, the “Bud Powell Jazz Orchestra,” directed by Simone Stefanizzi, will take the stage with guest Andrea Sabatino. The evening will conclude at 10:30 PM in Piazza Perotti with an electronic music DJ set featuring “Night Express” with Serena Patrimia and Queemose.

The festival will also feature significant cultural enrichment moments with the afternoon sessions of radio/altriSuoni curated by Francesco Varriale, featuring interviews with the main figures of the festival.

Once again this year, the Summer School is designed to offer students the best opportunities for theoretical and instrumental training and promote virtuous exchange with the territory, as the project's realization in an area decentralized from major metropolitan centers and recognized musical capitals highlights and enhances the over thirty-year qualified jazz tradition in the Salento region. Organized into seven instrument classes (sax, trumpet, piano, voice, guitar, double bass, drums) and six ensemble groups, the Summer School is also designed to cement the knowledge acquired through the sharing of it in jam sessions and concerts where teachers and students perform together. Leading the various workshops are musicians of international fame and teaching competence: saxophonist Roberto Ottaviano, pianist Enrico Zanisi, Belgian singer David Linx, double bassist Stefano Senni, drummer Alessandro Paternesi, trumpeter Simone Stefanizzi, who will lead the Summer School Jazz Orchestra, and double bassist Angelo Urso, who will conduct the Soundpainting course.

Also highly anticipated, as every year, is the “Kids School of Jazz,” a section of the Castro Jazz Festival that aims to introduce children to the world of jazz through playful and creative activities guided by teachers specialized in music education, jazz music, and the English language.

The full program of the Festival is available at
Web: www.castrojazz.it