One of the greatest groups born on the border between jazz and rock, under the protective wing of an absolute genius and pioneer of fusion. We are talking about the legendary Weather Report , whose legend comes back to life on stage with the great tribute offered by Kurt Elling and his Yellowjackets , this Sunday at the Teatro Massimo in Cagliari : an extraordinary preview of the upcoming forty-seventh edition of the European Jazz Expo on the island, with the music starting at 9 pm with the opening entrusted to Tangram Project , winners of the special mention at the last Isio Saba Award .

With a lineup that features Elling on vocals, joined by the four Yellowjackets Russell Ferrante (keyboards and piano), Bob Mintzer (tenor sax, soprano sax and electronic wind instrument), Dane Alderson (electric bass) and Marcus Finnie (drums and percussion), what is expected on stage is not a simple tribute, but an original reinterpretation to restore a new vocal dimension to masterpieces conceived as instrumental works , combining in an unprecedented dialogue the irrepressible freedom typical of jazz with the expressive power of Elling's voice.

He is considered one of the most important jazz singers internationally , thanks to his unmistakable style, capable of combining virtuosity, artistic research, and poetic depth, which has earned him two Grammy Awards and over twenty years of great recognition from audiences and critics . Originally from Chicago, Elling is an exceptional interpreter of the vocalese technique, which consists of composing lyrics over the melodic lines of improvised instrumental solos. He uses his warm baritone voice—with a range of four octaves —to move between improvisation and narration with extraordinary agility. This experience is not only musical but also literary, with the verses of authors such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Pablo Neruda resurfacing in his live performances.

Of no less caliber are the Yellowjackets , among the longest-running and most influential international fusion bands: also awarded with two Grammy Awards – to which can be added a total of seventeen nominations – the four musicians have spanned more than four decades of music, constantly renewing the group's musical language while at the same time maintaining a sonic identity that hybridizes jazz, rock, rhythm & blues and refined compositional structures.

While preceding Elling and the Yellowjackets is the trio of Federico Parrinello (piano and keyboards), Emanuele Fanì (double bass) and Luca Di Muzio   (drums), brought together under the name Tangram Project with a bold and constantly evolving approach, intertwining the genre's traditional roots with contemporary influences . The result is a creative space where improvisation and composition work synergistically in a dynamic sonic narrative, open to experimentation and new expressive possibilities.

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