-Nothing Like Good Jazz for Your Blues-

Like every summer, the Providencia Jazz Festival began last night and for 4 consecutive nights, it is the only major event in Santiago during the summer season that is without a doubt worth assisting to. This year there were some major improvements. Not only is there a more generous investment in terms of where the event takes place, but they have undoubtedly taken a leap forward and gone the extra mile in terms of the musicians they are inviting.
The opening act was a Polish band called “Pink Freud”, a group that not many of those present really knew or heard of prior to their act, nevertheless worth the time. Their psychedelic music however, perhaps is in need of some psychoanalysis, but the band let no one down. After approximately one hour and ten minutes, the band did their thing and got their well deserved credits. Perhaps one or two additional minutes on stage would have been fatal. After a 20 minute interval came the turn of the important act of the night, the star of the whole event, Jean Luc Ponty got on stage with his musicians. The crowd cheered like in a football match when he walked on stage. It couldn’t be any other way, a musician such as Ponty deserves no less. Immediately he dazzled with his music, often imitated, never duplicated. All it took was Ponty’s presence for the crowd’s immediate revival. And he performed majestically I must add, and his repertoire could have not been better. In summary, if you were not there, you have not a clue of what you missed!

CA