34th JazzAscona edition A venue to fully immerse in , and on the shores of Lake Maggiore

Ascona (Switzerland) – April 2018

From 21 to 30 June 2018 one of the world’s major events dedicated to jazz and New Orleans Beat - namely JazzAscona in Switzerland - sees an exciting "New Orleans Experience" with a programme of over 180 concerts, the best musical productions from the delta city and a culinary taste of Louisiana. The Mississippi on the shores of Lake Maggiore!

Buzzing with excitement, the 2018 edition proposes a varied programme ranging from traditional jazz to swing, blues and gospel, and from R&B to and bossa nova.

Highlights The popular Swiss bluesman Philipp Fankhauser will open the festival with a free concert on Thursday 21 June; Friday June 22, the Paolo Tomelleri Big Band recalls the historic concert with Benny Goodman in 1938 that took place in the Carnegie Hall in New York; Sunday 24 June the Ticino-born trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti will receive the Swiss Jazz Award 2018 - which crowns his great international career; Friday 29 June the English singer Denise Gordon is the energetically magnetic protagonist of the traditional concert of St Peter and St Paul, and Saturday 30 June the Ascona Jazz Award 2018 will be awarded to Bernard Pretty Purdie, master of the funk and soul drums.

New Orleans musicians and bands Interesting, as always, is the selection of bands from New Orleans featured exclusively at the festival for 10 days. And most awaited names include Jeff Tyson & The Ka-Nection Band, the most popular and longest running Bourbon Street band; The Andrews Family Brass Band; the young singer Meschiya Lake; the rising star Quiana Lynell, 2017 winner of the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition; the band of bassist Roland Guerin, consisting of top young musicians, such as the trumpeter Ashlin Parker and the pianist Kyle Roussel.

More As well as a tribute to Fats Waller, Fats Domino and Joe Venuti, along with a preview presentation of the records ("Frank Salis Meets Michael Watson" and the new album by Serena Brancale with yet unknown pieces), JazzAscona additionally proposes nightly jam sessions, a culinary taste of Louisiana and, in collaboration with the municipal museum of modern art, an exhibition of diverse record covers from 1954 to 1964 for the American Riverside record company by the renowned graphic artist Paul Bacon. Among the novelties to take note of this year are the “Concerts” (concerts in the dark) with guitarist Sandro Schneebeli, saxophonist Max Pizio and various guest artists. And listening to music in absolute darkness introduces audiences to a truly out of the ordinary sensory experience. Other notable appearances include the famous James Brown saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis; Brazilian bossa nova singer and guitarist Luiz Meira (26 -30.6); the young New York band Bryan Carter & the Young Swangers (23.6 -1.7); the Afro Blues Project by the London-born musician Randolph Matthews (22-25.6) and many other European and Swiss bands.

For further information www.jazzascona.ch. www.ascona-locarno.com (tel. +41 (0)848 091 091).

Tickets Evening concerts on the waterfront are at a charge on Fridays and Saturdays as well as on Thursday 28 June, otherwise free during the week. Adults CHF 20, students CHF 10 and children up until 14 years free. Tickets are available at the evening ticket desk from 18:00h. Gospel concert 29.6 - CHF 10