The Italian Cultural Institute is pleased to present a concert by the Mezza / Ginsburg Ensemble, composed by famous Italian pianist Vittorio Mezza and South African saxophonist Mark Ginsburg, during which the artists will present their album Convergence. The artists will be accompanied by Karl Dunnicliff on bass and Tim Firth on drums.
Mezza and Ginsburg along with Dunnicliff, Firth and the acclaimed chorus Bel a cappella led by Anthony Pasquill will tour Australia with performances in Sydney (IIC e Sydney Conservatorium International Jazz festival), Newcastle, Wodonga, Blue Mountains and Bathurst. For details of the tour visit www.markginsburg.com.au
The two artists met in New York in 2009 and worked together on a few projects, including concerts in Italy and two tours in South Africa, including an international jazz festival. The Convergence album, recently released by Ozella Music, has received excellent reviews. One of the tracks on the album turned out to be the most listened to on the All About Jazz website in the last 30 and 60 days. As demonstrated by their album Convergence, the compositions and performances of both Ginsburg and Mezza are vital, beautiful and fresh.
Vittorio Mezza, pianist, composer, arranger and music professor, is considered one of the most interesting and original musicians on the Italian scene. He has opened concerts for the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Peter Erskine Trio and the Mike Stern Band, and played at the Standard Bank Jazz Festival in Grahamstown (South Africa). He was semi-finalist at the TIM in Marseille (France) and was the only Italian pianist to compete in the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition in 2005. He has performed in the United States, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Cameroon, Switzerland and France. Vittorio also composed the official hymn for UNESCO – ONU Libertà va cercando, dedicated to freedom, human rights, freedom of the press and especially to ending impunity for crimes against journalists.
Mark Ginsburg emerged as a saxophonist of note in Cape Town, where he 
frequently performed at popular jazz venues as well as shows, television programs and on tours, including a two-month tour working with notorious British comedian Spike Milligan. Completing a Bachelor of Science as his first degree, Mark’s work and life experience has been diverse, including working as an information technology executive in Asia Pacific for a period of fifteen years. Mark’s focus returned to music, completing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium in 2003. He then continued with his studies, graduating as a Master of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium. The Mark Ginsburg Band, a quartet, was formed in 2008. Generations, the band’s debut album, was nominated for Best 2009 Jazz Album category in the AIR Awards in Australia. Mark has performed at numerous music festivals including the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, The National Arts Festival (South Africa), The Bellingen Global Carnival and a number of other Australian festivals. Mark wrote and recorded the score for feature length documentary, A Common Purpose, winner of the Audience Award at the 2011 Sydney Film Festival.
ENTRY:
- IIC members: Free
- Non-members: $15 (contribution fee to support the partial recovery of event costs)
Limited seats. Booking essential: www.eventbrite.com.au