“Jazz & Wine” 2025 by Banfi, on stage Nicola Piovani (in collaboration with WineNews)

“Music is dangerous, as well all deeply beautiful things are: they change us, sometimes we get ill of beauty like teenager loves”, and “our meetings with that beauty which has the strength to change us inside are likewise dangerous”: words by master Oscar Award Nicola Piovani, among the great musicians ever, and author of soundtracks for film-masterpieces signed by directors who made the history of cinema, by Federico Fellini - from whom he borrowed the sentence about dangerous music for the title of his last book – to Mario Monicelli, from Taviani brothers to Nanni Moretti, from Marco Bellocchio to Giuseppe Tornatore, to Roberto Benigni, with whom he won the Oscar for “Vita è bella” next to many prestigious Davids by Donatello, to artistic fellowship with writer Vincenzo Cerami, also in theater, for Luca De Filippo and Gigi Proietti, Vittorio Gassmann, and Maurizo Scaparro, and to his songs sung by Fabrizio De Andrè and Francesco De Gregori, from Peppe Servillo to Giorgia, from Fiorella Mannoia to Jovanotti, from Noa to Gianni Morandi, among others. And, which, on July, 25th, with Nicola Piovani Orchestra, will be at “Jazz & Wine in Montalcino” 2025, among the most enduring Festivals of international music panorama, and the most historical and important “company festival” of Italian wine signed by Banfi, among the companies of reference of Italian wine, leader of Brunello di Montalcino, in a concert promoted in collaboration with WineNews. And, in an edition No. 28 of the Festival, in Montalcino, from July, 22nd to 27th, which will see “bigs” of the caliber of Kenny Barron, Enrico Pieranunzi, Malika Ayane, Fabrizio Bosso, Javier Girotto, and Avishai Cohen go on stage.
Great artists, author music, high quality wine, and exceptional location are the ingredients which make it, since ever, unique and a forerunner of the genre of the many festivals, which, today, join the worlds of music and wine. And, through their universal language, “the idea was that of donating a message of culture, of beauty, harmony and peace – underline Alessandro Regoli and Irene Chiari, founders of WineNews, who strongly desired master Nicola Piovani on the stage of Jazz & Wine”) - one of the greatest masters in the world”. After all, in his almost 30 years of history, the Festival, thanks to its original formula, in which a cultural reality such as Alexanderplatz of Rome and a real patron as Banfi collaborate side by side, lured on its stage many among the most famous international and Italian jazz artists (under the artistic direction of Eugenio Rubei, following the vision of the historical artistic director Giampiero Rubei) by offering space to the most different proposals of international jazz panorama opening to rare incursions in pop: a mix of languages which wins and convinces consecrating this poster as one of the most appreciated ever, followed by an audience, who, over time, continues to grow.
In edition 2025, one starts on July, 22nd, in the suggestive framework of Castello Banfi, with “Legend of Jazz Kenny Barron Trio”, considered as one of the most famous jazz pianists in the world. Famous for his lyric and refined styled, Barron recorded more than forty albums as leader, and received many awards including 13 nominations to Grammy, and the title of Nea Jazz Master. Since over ten years, he leads a close trio with Kiyoshi Kitagawa with double bass, and Johnathan Blake with drums. On July, 23rd, always in Castello Banfi, “Enrico Pieranunzi Trio” arrives: on the stage, next to the famous pianist, absolute excellence of Italian jazz, Francesco Petreni, drummer from Siena of high technical-musical quality, and the phenomenal Danish bass player Thomas Fonnesbaek will go on stage, with which he has a multiyear collaboration from which intense and passionate albums arose. A trio who is considered among the best European bands. On July, 24th, the Festival moves among the Middle Age walls of the Fortress in Montalcino, where, exclusively for Tuscany, the great and very beloved singer-songwriter Malika Ayane exhibits. With five participations to “Sanremo Festival”, she won two “Critics Awards Mia Martini”, and with six albums and many collaborations with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Cesare Cremonini, and Jazzanova, to celebrate 15 years of career, she was back live with “Malika Ayane a Teatro” 2024.
On July, 25th, a very important show goes on stage: on the stage, Nicola Piovani Orchestra with “Note a margine”, a sort of autobiographic narration commissioned to Nicola Piovani from the Festival of Cannes in 2003 (with title “Leçon Concert”). Following memories and anecdotes, the master retraces some of the great meetings which marked his path, from Federico Fellini, recalled with affection for the small mania and for mastery as director, to Taviani brothers, from Vincenzo Cerami to Roberto Benigni, with episodes narrated with lightness and sincerity. Life experiences between music, cinema and theater that Piovani narrates accompanying them with the notes of his piano together with his saxophone and double bass. Narrate in music helps understand the sense of the narration of Piovani who underlined “I can’t remember a moment in my life where there wasn’t music”.
To follow, on July, 26th, waiting for twenty-year celebration, “Latin Mood”, group headed by Javier Girotto and Fabrizio Bosso with “Desde cuando” are back on the stage of “Jazz & Wine in Montalcino”. A new album, a renewed occasion to produce new music in that infinitely variegated language which is Latin Jazz. At the concert, together with new compositions, historical songs by the group won’t miss, inspired to previous albums “Sol” and “Vamos”. In the end, the grand finale, on July, 27th, with Avishai Cohen Quartet, one of the most original and applauded trumpet players of world contemporary jazz scene, known for his personal sound, and the constant artistic research. With him, on the stage, Jonathan Avishai at piano, Yoni Zelnik at double bass, and Ziv Ravitz at drums. His music continues to overcome the boundaries of traditional jazz imposing it as one of the most innovative voices of his generation.