Last Sunday, 15 June, at 9 p.m., the Municipal Court in Via Emilia 92 hosted the official opening of the summer programme in San Lazzaro di Savena (Bologna), with a performance by the Antonio Onorato Neapolitan Avantgarde Quartet.

A signature musical ensemble
The quartet, composed of Antonio Onorato (guitars), Gianni D’Argenzio (sax), Angelo Farias (bass) and Mario De Paola (drums), offered a performance that combined the African-American languages of jazz-rock and the Neapolitan tradition, contaminated by Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Brazilian influences.

Between Neapolitan fervour and blues
As can be heard in his latest work, “Neapolitan Avantgarde”, Onorato blends blues, jazz and the “a fronn” ‘e limone’ ” musical scale, typical of the Neapolitan tradition – and the evening in Bologna reproduced this fusion of sounds, enhanced by the melodic and improvisational energy that transported the audience between Mediterranean atmospheres and avant-garde suggestions. The concert was enthusiastically received by the local audience, in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and participation. The Councillor for Culture, Juri Guidi, emphasised how the event gave continuity to the Paradiso Jazz Festival, enriching the summer programme with high-level performances.

The evening proved to be an exciting celebration of Antonio Onorato’s “Neapolitan Jazz”: a sound interweaving of fusion jazz, Neapolitan roots and sound experimentation, an evocative starting point for the musical summer in San Lazzaro.