A strip of fertile land 2023

Born in 1998 and now in its twenty-sixth edition, A strip of fertile land is a jazz and improvised music festival, directed by Paolo Damiani and Armand Meignan, dedicated to Italian and French musicians who are often invited to play together. Organized by the Teatro dell'Ascolto association, in co-production with the Musica per Roma Foundation, the festival takes place in Rome in the Casa del Jazz and at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, in Ostia at the Teatro del Lido and in the Spazio Rossellini and in Civitavecchia in the space of the Cittadella della Musica, in collaboration with ATCL.

Like every year, the festival also takes advantage of the presence of artists from the theater such as Sonia Bergamasco, Peppe Servillo, David Riondino, Maria Laura Baccarini who enhance the encounters between Literature and Music; There are also many original productions, such as the new trio by Enrico Rava, the formations directed by Daniele Roccato and Gianluigi Trovesi, the new quartet by guitarist Francesco Diodati with Benoit Delbecq on the piano, the trio by Maria Pia De Vito, the duo between Javier Girotto and the French pianist Jean Pierre Como.

Characteristic aspects of the festival are the Siae Award, in collaboration with the famous monthly Musica Jazz and the Artist Residency, whose protagonists are the winners of the national tender issued by Midj, the National Association of Jazz Musicians. The event always leaves ample space for young talents: in this regard this year two very original under 35 teams stand out in particular.

Finally, there is a section dedicated to children in collaboration with IJVAS (Association Jazz goes to school), the workshop/concert for children and teenagers who play and sing directed this year by the composer and saxophonist Cristiano Arcelli: The Winner is: “Marcovaldo” is a small suite for young improvisers who, as in Calvino's story, play in four sound environments where they can experiment and improvise.

Photo credits:  courtesy of Auditorium Parco della Musica official site