Record-breaking attendance figures at the Torino Jazz Festival 2023, with a cavalcade of sold-out shows at our main concert venues (OGR Torino, Teatro Vittoria, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Teatro Alfieri, Teatro Monterosa, Aula Magna del Politecnico, Casa Teatro Ragazzi e Giovani, Conservatorio di Torino Giuseppe Verdi, Bunker, Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli and Sala500 del Lingotto), and at participating clubs (Amen Bar, Bagni Pubblici di via Agliè, Bunker, Cafè Neruda, Comala, Combo, Educatorio della Provvidenza, Folk Club, Laboratori di Barriera, L’Arteficio Circolo Amici della Magia (Caffè Procope), Machito, Off Topic (Cubo), Osteria Rabezzana, Piazza dei Mestieri, Bocciofila Vanchiglietta Rami Secchi).
This year’s TJF was another huge success, with 93 performances scheduled over 9 days, April 22-30, in 62 different locations throughout the city, featuring artists from the world over. A complete overview of jazz today, in all the genre’s many nuances.
12,513 people attended the festival’s 17 headline concerts, with some 3,200 in attendance at the 32 clubs that shared their support. Attendance at 34 Jazz Blitz events: 2,000. Attendance at talks and special events: 717.
Total attendance at TJF 2023: 18,430. That’s a 29% increase with respect to last year’s festival.
Concert-goers came from all over Italy and worldwide. Indeed, many took advantage of the April 25 and May 1 holidays here in Italy to make Torino their go-to destination to soak up the music at TJF and enjoy all that the city has to offer.
“2023 has been a year of surprises,” commented Stefano Zenni, Artistic Director of the Torino Jazz Festival. “The crowds really threw us for a loop. People who came to the shows were totally psyched. And the musicians who came here from all over the world to play definitely picked up on that – you could see that they were giving it their all, you could hear it! The shows at the clubs were really well-organized, to say nothing of the music that our artists were laying down – mind-boggling jams up and down the line. Our Jazz Blitz events took music to places that are often neglected and in dire need of music. Our Jazz Talks and special events garnered plenty of interest and raised not a few eyebrows. Maybe, after all, we shouldn’t find all the harmony created between TJF and the city of Torino so surprising. Still, the intensity of the vibes going back and forth leaves onlookers somewhat taken aback. This year’s festival definitely left its mark, with arrows pointing in the direction of next year’s edition.”
“This year’s TJF was absolutely amazing, and everyone agrees – fans and critics, local concert-goers and the many tourists who came to town over the holiday weekend. A great mix of venues, too – from downtown to the outskirts,” says Stefano Lo Russo, Mayor of Torino. “The eleventh edition of the TJF definitely made a name for itself – both in terms of the quality of the performances staged, and their appeal to a vast number of music lovers who came out in droves to enjoy the shows.”
“I’m really happy. This year’s edition of TJF was the representation to a T of the cultural spirit that drives Torino and the city’s public administration,” remarked Torino Commissioner of Culture, Rosanna Purchia. “Jazz literally invaded Torino and blew everyone away. From the clubs located throughout the city, to the downtown venues that hosted the festival’s main events. Jazz in needs-based locations, meeting halls, markets and symbolic locations like Torino’s Scuola di Applicazione and Palazzo Cisterna. Our goal was to bring together the social and civil spirit so deeply rooted in our city and culture, and forge ahead with a special focus on the up-and-coming generations. The kind of plan that TJF artistic director, Stefano Zenni, pulled off to perfection.”
Following the triumphant JST Jazz Parade on Saturday, April 22, we were treated to the original production of But Beautiful, courtesy of Peppe Servillo & The TJF All Stars, officially opening the eleventh edition of TJF. An amazing turnout on the part of jazz lovers, whose enthusiasm and record-breaking numbers continued throughout the festival.
Cristina Zavalloni and the Conservatorio di Torino Orchestra; the Kenny Barron Trio; the Federica Michisanti Trio, with special guest Louis Sclavis; Shabaka Hutchings, Majid Bekkas and Hamid Drake; Hamid Drake with Turiya; Steve Coleman and The Five Elements; Furio Di Castri; Roberto Ottaviano; Paal Nilssen-Love; Francesco Diodati and tellKujira; Craig Taborn; Eva Risser; Sarathy Korwar… They all provided us with unforgettable moments of great music. Extended applause and standing ovations were the order of the day.
On Sunday, April 30, International Jazz Day, Stefano Bollani played two shows at the Lingotto Auditorium to close out the festival, to the delight of nearly 4,000 spectators.
Torino Jazz Festival 2023 is a project promoted by the City of Torino and brought to you by the Fondazione per la Cultura Torino, with support from the Italian Ministry of Culture, our main partners Intesa Sanpaolo and IREN, with contributions from ANCoS and Confartigianato Imprese Torino, and in conjunction with Fondazione CRT and OGR Torino.
Live jazz continues locally with Torino Jazz Festival Piemonte which runs throughout the summer, beginning in June, with over 20 concerts across the region. The best of contemporary jazz this summer in Piemonte, featuring stars like guitarist Stanley Jordan (USA), pianist Jacky Terrasson (France) and Italy’s own Boosta, i.e., Davide Dileo, cofounder of the group Subsonica. Complete program available soon at www.piemontedalvivo.it
TJF Piemonte is a joint venture, courtesy of Fondazione Piemonte dal Vivo, the City of Torino and Torino Jazz Festival, in conjunction with Fondazione per la Cultura Torino and Consorzio Piemonte Jazz.