On the occasion of the Italian Republic Day, the Italian Embassy in Norway, the Italian Cultural Institute in Oslo and the Umbria Region have joined forces to bring to Oslo the best of a splendid Italian region, Umbria. In particular, the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Umbria Jazz Festival was celebrated with a piano-solo concert by the famous Italian jazz musician Danilo Rea.
The Ambassador of Italy in Oslo, Stefano Nicoletti, said that it was a great pleasure to host an Italian musician of the caliber of Danilo Rea in Norway, a country with a strong jazz tradition, and that Danilo Rea's concert was only a preview of the splendid program of the Umbria Jazz Festival, which will take place from 7 to 16 July in Perugia. The history of this festival is made up of great concerts and has seen the participation of numerous jazz legends.
At the end of the concert - attended by around 300 people - the guests had the opportunity to taste dishes and desserts typical of the Umbrian gastronomic tradition, as well as regional wines.
Danilo Rea has long been one of the most famous and appreciated Italian musicians, also internationally. Throughout his career, he has performed with the most excellent Italian and American jazz artists (Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Art Farmer). He has been opening his repertoire to arias from melodramas, classical music, the rock of the Rolling Stones and Beatles, and songwriting, from Fabrizio De André to Mina, with extraordinary results. Rea’s projects mark his extreme ease in performing in various musical spaces and formulas: trios (Doctor 3, Trio di Roma), collaborations with singers (Gino Paoli, Peppe Servillo, Fiorella Mannoia), tributes to great Italian songwriters such as Luigi Tenco, completely improvised piano duo with Renato Sellani and Brad Mehldau. For Danilo’s fans, the piano solo formula remains a privileged dimension through which he can express engaging lyricism.
