Umbria Jazz has severed its connection with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival but the Victorian event will still take place next year, albeit with a different focus.
A statement released by Umbria Jazz in Italy, said that the organisation had “decided to turn down the artistic direction and the concession of its logo for the second edition of the festival which was to have taken place in Melbourne next spring.”
“The reduction of the budget has convinced the artistic director Carlo Pagnotta together with the Umbria Jazz Association to cancel an event which
was no longer able to present the usual high standard demanded by the Umbrian festival for these initiatives abroad.
“Umbria Jazz obviously regrets what has happened in consideration, too, of the great success of the first edition of the Melbourne festival which had promoted Italian jazz in Australia and had been a positive showcase for the tourist and commercial promotion of Umbria.”
Melbourne Jazz chairman Albert Dadon said his board and Umbria Jazz had “mutually agreed to end their association” but that an international jazz festival will still take place in Melbourne from 3 to 13 May, 2007.
“Carlo and I remain friends, and I value his contribution to jazz in Melbourne,” said Mr Dadon. “However, while the collaboration with Umbria was a good experience and delivered a great event in 2005, we believe that next year it is time to put the focus back on Melbourne and feature the world’s best jazz artists without specialising in a particular region.”
The festival’s international line-up will be announced in November.
Read more in The Age
Photo: Wayne Shorter – one of the star attractions at 2005’s event.
