di Ariane Burckhardt

The 27^th edition of JazzAscona presented a successful mix of, on the one side, great international artists and, on the other side, emerging musicians from the Swiss scene. JazzExperience was strongly desired by the festival's artistic director Nicolas Gilliet and by George Robert, musician and director of the Jazz Department at the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland. True to its name the project aims at offering space to talented musicians to literally experience jazz at a professional level and to live the experience of an internationally renowned jazz festival.

The 25 young musicians who participate in the project are divided into five different bands: the Italian Connection, the French-Swiss Connection, Streeo, Zelao, and Sax Thing.

Every day, from June 25^th to July 2^nd, the five bands take part in workshops led by guest star artists who, for two hours, share their knowledge and passion with the young musicians. The project furthermore includes daily performances on the JazzAscona stages, offering visibility and a chance to impress the audience to the music students.

On Monday 27^th we had the great pleasure to sit in Lillian Boutté's workshop, in the evocative setting of the Teatro Gatto in Ascona. The New Orleans singer showed up accompanied by banjo artist Don Vappie and pianist Phil Parnell and immediately set things straight: “We're here to have fun: divertimento.” All three proved to be eager to share what they themselves have learned about music and one had the impression that if there hadn't been a time limit, they would have gone on speaking for hours. As every classic lessons has it, the teachers quizzed their students on their knowledge of old time New Orleans classics, insisting on the importance of origin as key to understand modern jazz: a bit unprepared, the students knew very few of the names their teachers mentioned. Boutté, Vappie, and Parnell then took their place on stage and delighted us with the notes of the famous spiritual The Saints, during which one of the more courageous students decided to sit at the drum set to accompany the three in their performance. Once the initial uneasiness disappeared, vocals gradually stepped in followed by two saxophones and a further bass – creating an atmosphere of gathering and divertimento, typical of New Orleans where, as Vappie recounted, “everything came together, probably because of this idea that music is a part of a larger whole”, something he sees as extremely important to understand the role of music and attitude of musicians in The Crescent City. Lillian Boutté gave a last encouraging message to her students of the day, concluding that “if you hear it, it can't be wrong..”.

Later on in the week, we visited the workshops for a second time, when legendary drummer Duffy Jackson stepped on the Teatro Gatto stage to share his view on music: his approach could be describe as a physical one, both with regards to a musician's relationship with his instrument – Jackson held the bass as if he were holding a woman – and to the relationship with the other musicians on stage: “look at your fellow musicians' hands when you play, don't look down at your drum sticks or at the keyboards; you've got to feel what the others are playing and where they're going..”. Duffy Jackson was fully at ease as a teacher and one could tell that he wasn't new at the job. 15-year-old drummer Jerome Cardynaals was obviously paying great attention to Jackson's words because as he took his seat at the drum set and started playing with a confidence that hushed those present, he displayed a musical maturity that even some of the older students looked at with awe: it might have been his gaze fixed on the bassist right next to him or maybe it was the smile he displayed every time he sat at the drums that made that one moment unforgettable. An enthusiasm that also other ExperienceJazz participants visibly shared, although not all participated as constantly and curiously as one could have hoped for. They might still have a small lesson to learn in professionalism but when one sees them on stage, one cannot stop oneself from smiling and wishing them good luck for their futures. Stay tuned on www.jazzascona.ch to discover who will be back in Ascona for the 28^th edition!

Since a few years at the festival one can also try one's luck! At the tables of the Locarno Casinò - JazzAscona's presenting sponsor - which are placed at the entrance of the Jazz Club Torre, you'll be entertained and, at the same time, learn rules of Black Jack, roulette, and slot machines. JazzAscona visitors have get the grat opportunity of trying Casino games without spending money but with the chance of winning many gadgets.

Music can be an excellent therapy, it is a known fact.  Someone who can bear witness to this is Karin Oelerich, painter from München, jazz lover and a regular at JazzAscona. “Two years ago – she says - I was experiencing a period of depression. I came to the festival anyway and here something inexplicable happend: the music of Christian Willisohn and Boris Van der Lek awakened enthusiasm in me, something I hadn't expterienced for a long time and it gave me the strength to react. Once I got back home I started listening to their music and intuitively I started to paint, trying to express in colors the emotions I felt through their music. I think my paintings are the expression of a refound joy of life". Karin's story can now be discovered in a book hot off the press, "Blues Feelings", published by Literareon im Herbert Utz Verlag GmbH in Munchen, which comes with a CD of Willisohn's great music. As the author explains, it is a book to "listen to with the eyes and look at with the ears". The book is available in English and German and will be presented at the Frankfurter Buchmesse.

There was a time in which the electric guitar still hadn't become a favorite among young musicians. On the stages it was instead powerful and hot-tempered saxophones that would unleash the audience's enthusiasm. Saxophones that roared, tribal reminders of the soul's depth.
The style's interpreters who grew up in the powerful wind instrument sections of R'n'B bands, had a coarse and nasal sound, and a tight and insolent one too: long and hypnotic notes that made the crowds go crazy. Inspired by Illinois Jacquet, the first to experiment with this style when playing in Lionel Hampton's band, many young saxophonists followed his steps and became real «honkers».
One of the most famous among them, and one of the only ones who is still active today, is 74-year-old Cecil James McNeely, known as Big Jay McNeely. Born in California, at only 20 he signed a discographic contract with Savoy Records, together with his brother, baritone saxophonist Robert.
Big Jay is 22 when «The Deacon's Hop» reaches the top of «Billboard»'s R'n'B charts and becomes a national success. The record gives the saxophonists great popularity, which lasts in the 1950s and 60s but starts decreasing in the following decades. Financial difficulties even lead him to abandon the music world and to work as a postman for about ten years. He returned on stage in 1980 and never stepped down. As the one and only «King of the Honking Tenor Sax», today he is still in splendid activity. Despite his age, his scenic charge is still fully conserved. This born showman ventures into wild dances, special effects and light plays, always full of energy and inventive. On stage Big Jay McNeely's saxophone doesn't only roar, it can literally do anything...