An award celebrating innovation in Italian jazz, dedicated to one of the most visionary figures of our island's jazz: this Sunday the 19th, the first round of semifinals of the fifth edition of the Isio Saba Award, organized by Jazz in Sardegna and the Il Jazzino association, arrives. In the evocative atmosphere of the venue at Via Carloforte 74 in Cagliari, four groups will compete for a spot in the final, competing for expressive originality and creativity.

The jury

Starting at 8:30 PM, the first-round bands, selected from fifty applicants from across Italy, will take the stage, performing before an exceptional jury. Chaired by conductor Paolo Carrus and coordinated by the initiative's artistic director, Gianrico Manca, the panel will be rounded out by prominent figures from the music and journalism worlds, including singer and flutist Francesca Corrias, sound engineer (and founder of S'ardmusic) Michele Palmas, journalist and music critic Giacomo Serreli, music photographer Sara Deidda, producer Marti Jane Robertson, jazz guitarist Bebo Ferra, Conservatory professor Andrea Saba, and journalist Antonio Benoni.

The contestants

The four participating projects, of which only one will advance to the finals, although they revolve around jazz, will have distinctly different sounds. First and foremost, the folk-tinged quartet from Parma, Angela sull'acqua, composed of Angela Malagisi (vocals and writing), Gabriele Fava (tenor saxophone), Marcello Mangiavacca (electric guitar), and Giancarlo Patris (double bass), as well as the progressive and funky influences of Light Pole from Frosinone, comprised of Francesco Curcio (vocals), Lorenzo Cellupica (keyboards), Damiano Drogheo (saxophone), and Massimo Ceci (drums). A more traditional sound is represented by Basilico/Pagliero 4tet, led by Mattia Basilico (saxophone) and Alessio Pagliero (piano) with support from Carlo Bavetta (double bass) and Luca Guarino (drums), who travel between Turin and Milan. The Roman sextet Saíhs closes with Matteo Zecchi (tenor sax), Giulio Mari (trumpet), Giulio Tullio (trombone), Lorenzo Fiorentini (piano), Giulio Barsotti (double bass) and Edoardo Battaglia (drums).

Towards the awards ceremony

The subsequent semi-finals will take place on the Sundays of October 26th and November 9th, again from 8:30 pm at the Jazzino, and once concluded, the final awards ceremony will take place on November 30th at the Teatro Massimo.

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