The Italian Institute of Culture is delighted to take part in the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2026, presenting an exceptional lineup of Italian jazz musicians:
Simona Parrinello – vocals;
Gianluca Di Ienno – piano;
Michelangelo Scandroglio – double bass;
Alessandro Rossi – drums.
Velvet-voiced singer Simona Parrinello draws inspiration from Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s unique fusion of poetry and music. Joined by her outstanding Italian trio, she presents a haunting, evocative, and deeply dynamic performance.
The project inspired by some of the most influential figures in jazz history, foremost among them Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Deeply rooted in African and African-American musical traditions, the project celebrates the powerful connection between composition and poetry through an intense and contemporary musical narrative.
Its expressive strength emerges from the close interplay between voice, lyrics, and music, as heard in pieces such as Caged Bird Sings of Freedom — a musical adaptation of Maya Angelou’s poem — and Lieve, an original composition featuring a poem by Emily Dickinson.
Intimate yet visionary, the music moves through hypnotic atmospheres, oriental echoes, and impressionistic textures — distinctive elements that also characterized the original works of Ellington and Strayhorn — opening the musical dialogue toward a broader European sensibility.
For more information and tickets please visit: https://ejbf.co.uk