On Wednesday, April 30, the International Jazz Day returns for its fourteenth edition: the program includes an afternoon itinerary with multiple stops through the city’s streets and squares, and an unmissable evening event featuring the tribute concert to Jelly Roll Morton by the quintet led by Helga Plankensteiner, “Jelly Roll Plays Morton,” along with afternoon performances by Musicultura winner Francesco Rainero and the street band Prismabanda.
This year, the IJD is organized in collaboration with the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, thanks to the partnership established with the City of Bolzano.
International Jazz Day celebrates jazz as an educational tool, a means of dialogue and cooperation among people, and a bridge between cultures. Organizing the International Jazz Day offers the opportunity to contribute to the development of more inclusive societies.
The concert program in Alba—where composer Filippo Cosentino has embraced and promoted these values since the very beginning—will kick off at 3:30 PM in Piazza Ferrero with Florentine artist Francesco Rainero.
After experiences that led him to collaborate with Bungaro, perform with Niccolò Fabi and Max Gazzè, and open Ligabue’s concert at Parco di Monza, he released his first album Mancino in 2017, including a duet with Grazia Di Michele. In 2018, he opened two concerts for Francesco De Gregori and won the Lunezia Award. He is the youngest winner of Musicultura 2018 and a finalist for the Bertoli Award the same year.
In the summer of 2019, he embarked on his first tour across Italy with his band. His second album, Generazione, was released in 2019, followed by La libera bellezza in 2021, an acoustic cover project with pianist Vincenzo Genovese. Since 2017, he has collaborated with the National Night of Classical High Schools, writing and performing the official anthem of the event.
In Alba, he will present a solo performance featuring songs from his latest album Ti cerco nel mondo, released in November 2025 by Ipogeo Records, alongside other pieces from his repertoire and select acoustic covers.
Starting at 4:45 PM in Piazza Garibaldi and throughout the historic center, the Prismabanda—a street band from Vernante in the province of Cuneo—will bring its international experience to Alba: a prism of music, dance, and energy blending different genres into a musical performance filled with gags, choreography, and juggling acts.
At 8:30 PM in Piazza Duomo, the “Jelly Roll Plays Morton” quintet will perform a tribute to Jelly Roll Morton, the pioneering musician who famously declared himself the “inventor of jazz.”
Helga Plankensteiner’s project features an original lineup with three low-register wind instruments: baritone sax, bass clarinet, and tuba. The repertoire is entirely dedicated to Jelly Roll Morton’s compositions, with polystylistic arrangements that reveal surprising facets of this early jazz genius.
The album released by the German label Jazzwerkstatt was named among the 15 best records of 2022 by Musica Jazz’s Top Jazz.
On stage:
Helga Plankensteiner – baritone sax & vocals
Achille Succi – bass clarinet
Glauco Benedetti – tuba
Michael Lösch – piano, Rhodes & toy piano
Marco Soldà – drums
“We are thrilled to experience this intense day of music and encounters on April 30,” says artistic director Filippo Cosentino. “Jazz Day is one of the most anticipated moments of the year worldwide, and the City of Alba shares the vibrancy that unites cultures and languages. As a musician and cultural entrepreneur, I am grateful to the City of Alba, Councillor Caterina Pasini, and the Ente Fiera for believing in this event throughout the years.”
All events are free and open to the public.
In case of bad weather, all concerts will be held in Sala Riolfo.
For more information, visit www.dragonflymusicstudio.com
International Jazz Day in Alba, sponsored by the City of Alba, is organized by Dragonfly Music Studio with the support of the Municipality of Alba; partners of Dragonfly Music Studio: Ente Fiera di Alba, Stroppiana Insurance, Ipogeo Records, Milleunanota with the contribution of CRC Foundation and Banca d’Alba.
Contacts
Dragonfly Music Studio email: dragostudiopromotion@gmail.com – mobile: +39 3347867028
Website: www.dragonflymusicstudio.com
