Conad Jazz Contest Story is about the past 10 editions of the Contest, through a series of interviews with musicians who started their musical career also thanks to their performance on the Conad stage at the Carducci Gardens in Perugia during Umbria Jazz.

 

In this first story we interviewed Anais Drago, finalist violinist of the 2019 edition.

 

Anais, at Conad Jazz Contest we are very proud of you and we like to think we somehow contributed to your discovery. What happened after your performance as a finalist 5 years ago? We also found you more recently playing at Umbria Jazz..

 

I remember with great pleasure my participation as a finalist of the Conad Jazz contest in 2019. Since then, so many things have happened, even though there was also a pandemic involved which froze artistic activities for some time. I published my solo album, got a Top Jazz award from Musica Jazz magazine, a SIAE award, a collaboration with Enrico Rava and Maria Pia De Vito, many artistic residencies, and an experience with the Orchestra Nazionale Jazz Giovani Talenti with maestro Damiani, not to mention the many concerts throughout Italy that I have held in the last few years.

In 2022 it was nice to participate in Umbria Jazz, both as a guest of the Accordi Disaccordi trio for the entire duration of the Festival, and with my solo in the prestigious Sala Podiani. It is also curious that my first collaboration with Accordi Disaccordi took place right on the Conad Stage at Giardini Carducci, the same year as my participation in the contest, when we both lived in Piedmont and were almost neighbors!

 

Women and jazz: 2024 seems like the year of women for music… will it be the same for jazz too? Do you see any growth in interest and awareness of female talent in jazz lately?

 

I believe that the world of jazz has raised its antenna on gender issues for some time now and that the first results are timidly starting to be seen. The road is still very long, but I am convinced that the waters are moving. It is a question of commitment that must be made by all parties involved: from schools and training institutes to artistic directors, to band leaders who must form their ensembles.

 

Anais on social media: you are particularly active and share your career. How important is social media presence today to stand out and get noticed?

 

It’s always difficult to find a balance with a medium like social media, where rules change faster than I need to get used to. However, I try to communicate my concerts and the main events where I am involved. For a year I have also been editing a monthly newsletter which is giving me great satisfaction. The newsletter allows me to make a checkpoint every thirty days, thinking about what happened and describing the artistic experiences in which I am involved in a more intimate and convivial way. I am particularly happy to see new subscribers month after month and to receive a lot of feedback in response.

 

How is your musical project going? How has your music evolved?

 

I am very happy with the path I am on. I dedicated an intense period to soloing, which I brought live to many festivals and events and which opened the way to wonderful collaborations; in the last year I have undertaken several adventures, the latest of which alongside Federico Calcagno and Max Trabucco in a trio of which I am the leader, supported by the WeStart production centre of which I have been part since 2023. I believe that my music remains faithful to the idea of wanting to experiment, and try new solutions. Curiosity is still the main driver of the creative process. At the same time, alongside my production, I am very happy to have always left open the window of collaborations in artistic worlds and contexts that are also very different from jazz and experimental music (as with the singer Ultimo, or with the world of theatre). because for me it is always a source of personal and musical enrichment.

 

 

We have seen you as a guest on important stages, including on a TEDx and recently hosted by Bollani on TV. What’s in your future?

 

The experience in Stefano Bollani and Valentina Cenni’s living room was beautiful. A pleasant, welcoming climate, in which a little dream came true.

I am very proactive in looking to the future: my trio is obtaining wonderful recognition (we are returning from a concert in Germany which was sold out with more than a thousand people in the audience) and many dates are coming up for the summer ; in May a record will be released for Parco della Musica Records (a work that pays homage to Frank Zappa and which sees me involved together with the double bassist Valentina Ciardelli and the countertenor Riccardo Strano), and until late spring I will be on tour with Neri Marcorè in “La Buona Novella”, a theatrical/musical show directed by Giorgio Gallione which is enjoying considerable success, so much so that there is talk of a reprise of a further two months of tour in 2025. My collaboration as a guest with Accordi Disaccordi continues and so does my activity solo, with whom I already have several concerts planned this year. Finally, I have just returned from a very interesting experience which involved me with the French artist and performer Salômè Guillemin-Pœuf, in a sound investigation and deep listening project supported by the Pro Helvetia foundation. After a week of residency in Venice last January, we will resume work in Geneva in the autumn.

 

Fantastic, thanks, Anais! We can’t wait to listen to your new album and come see you on tour and in theatres!