It’s wonderful, it’s wonderful: on Friday 6 July, no other than Paolo Conte will headline the Gent Jazz Festival 2018. The 17th festival edition will take place from 29 June to 8 July 2018 on the magical Bijloke site in Ghent. The octogenarian melancholic musician with the recognizable smoky voice always knows how to move his audience with a surprising mix of styles. Jazz, however, remains Conte’s first love. Tickets go on sale on Friday 8 December at 10 a.m.
Finally back in Belgium
After four years of absence from the Belgian scene, where he always sold out every concert, Paolo Conte exclusively chose Gent Jazz Festival to perform his rich body of works. Rolling Stone and The New York Times once labelled the compilation album ‘Best of Paolo Conte’ album of the year. His purely instrumental album ‘Amazing Game’ from 2016 brought along concerts in the brand new philharmonic buildings in Paris and Hamburg. Gent Jazz Festival 2018 will be an exceptional opportunity to admire the Italian virtuoso once more live in Belgium!
Lawyer by day, jazz musician by night
Nevertheless, Paolo Conte’s recognition as a singer and pianist got a bit of a late start. After his day job as a lawyer he played in jazz bands and wrote songs performed by artists such as Johnny Hallyday and Shirley Bassey. In 1979, ‘Un Gelato al Limon’ became a big hit. The song ‘Max’ enabled Conte’s worldwide breakthrough in 1987. The release of the accompanying album ‘Aguaplano’ went hand in hand with two performances at the legendary Blue Note Club in New York. Conte is an artist who continues to challenge himself. His honorary doctorate in Contemporary Music Languages the University of Parma awarded him past November, is there to prove it.
Gent Jazz Festival under the Christmas tree
Besides tickets for this exquisite festival day, gift vouchers will also go on sale on 8 December. No more disappointed faces while unwrapping presents, the lucky receiver can trade in their gift voucher for entrance tickets, drink tokens and/or merchandising. As the cherry on top of the Christmas pudding, Gent Jazz Festival releases their fans from classical Jingle Bells tunes heard ad nauseam during the holiday season. Their music specialists put together a playlist that guarantees a splendid mood at the Christmas table. A trend that will be repeated throughout the year on several special occasions: https://open.spotify.com/user/gentjazzfestival
More names for the Gent Jazz Festival 2018 will be announced later.
Practical information
Paolo Conte & more names TBC
Friday 6 July 2018
Start ticket & gift vouchers sale: Friday 8 December 2017
via www.gentjazz.com or in a FNAC store
Follow Gent Jazz Festival (@gentjazzfestival) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube & Spotify #gentjazz
