New year celebrations in the Barga Jazz Club

After the very miserable, wet start to celebrations this year (article here)  it came as a cheery surprise winding down from the Duomo through the narrow streets of  Barga Vecchia  to find the  door of the Barga Jazz Club invitingly wide open and some great music streaming out into the street.  It might be damp and miserable outside but inside it was a different world –  a little steamy,  but nevertheless the party was here.

Instead of setting up a series of musical events which coincided with people eating their traditional New Year’s Eve meal, the organisers of the club this year came up with a real winner.  The New Year’s Eve – Capodanno evening which started at 11. 15 p.m and went on into the very small hours of the new decade.

This meant that people arrived to celebrate after their meal  and the club was full to bursting and what a mixed musical menu it was on offer this evening.

The Burning Room (almost)  started things off with their blues inspired music with the voice of ever resourceful Sara Bergamini  leading the way.  The burning room (almost)  because they were missing their guitarist Lorenzo Marianelli  but in the jazz club this evening there were many musicians ready and willing to get up and give a hand.  Right through the evening there was a constant changing procession of musicians joining and leaving the stage.  Geoff Collins-White of Jack’s Pack and recently The Beagles and at one point, his son Jeremy White the rhythm guitarist with the London band the T-Jays was seen banging away on the congas before disappearing once more into the crowd.

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Sara Bergamini – voce  | Gino Marchi – basso elettrico | Federico Cardelli – batteria | Simone Venturi – keyboards

Half of the club was now full of dancing people and after a brief pause while some of the instruments were changed over and the second band of the evening started up their set and the dancing continued until almost everybody was on their feet.

Andrea Guzzoletti’s  project Electrovisions, which we have seen parts of over the last couple of years in various  stages of development once more digitally rocked the house. (Electrovisions in the piazza 2007 | bargajazzclub March 2008 |  Andrea for once putting down his trumpet and instead playing the digital maestro with some recent equipment bought on his last trip to New York.

Simone Venturi – keyboards | Andrea Guzzoletti – macbook and digital wizardry | Simone Venturi  – tastiere, Alessandro Rizzardi –  T. sax, Marco Venturi – T.sax  and of course the driving beat supplied by  Andrea Giannelli –  drums .

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And then to close the evening in style -the spinning virtual discs of DJ Mz Dior kept everything on track and rolling till dawn …well, almost.