TINO TRACANNA ON HIS BELGRADE JAZZ FESTIVAL CONCERT: “EXPLORING DIFFERENT MUSICAL WORLDS MAKES ME FEEL ALIVE”
One of Italy’s leading jazz musicians, saxophonist and composer Tino Tracanna, will perform with his octet on 22 October at 7 PM in the Main Hall of the Belgrade Youth Center, as part of the 42nd Belgrade Jazz Festival. The ensemble combines deep roots in the jazz tradition with a free exploration of different sounds, forms and musical traditions.
The programme features original compositions by Tracanna and pianist Massimiliano Milesi, whose arrangements and improvisations create space for different musical expressions. Their latest album, “Panorchestra”, featuring recordings from two live concerts, was named Best Album of 2025 in the critics’ poll of “Musica Jazz” magazine (Top Jazz).
Tino Tracanna (Livorno, 1956) has released more than twenty albums as a leader of ensembles in various formats. From 1981 until the early 1990s, he was a member of Franco D’Andrea’s quartet, which was named Italy’s Best Jazz Band in 1986 and received awards for Best Album in 1984 and 1986. Since 1983, he has been a member of Paolo Fresu’s quintet, later sextet, with which he has won several awards for Best Italian Band and Best Album, as well as two Django Awards for Best European Jazz Album. He first performed at the Belgrade Jazz Festival with this ensemble in 2014.
In this interview ahead of his appearance at this year’s festival, Tracanna discusses the musical explorations that have shaped his work, the origins and sound of Panorchestra, his return to Belgrade with his own project, and the importance of international exchange for young jazz musicians.
The concert is supported by the Italian Institute of Culture in Belgrade.
Tickets are available at all eFinity outlets and online.
You have a long and successful career as a saxophonist, composer and bandleader. After so many years in jazz, what still inspires you to make new music and explore new ideas?
Tino Tracanna: I have always been curious about what new ideas were brewing, so I explored diverse musical worlds — ranging from a more jazz-oriented approach with my classic quartet (Massimo Colombo on piano, Marco Micheli on bass, and Francesco Petreni on drums) on albums like “Live 2005”, “La Forma delle Cose”, and “Acrobats”, to more distant territories such as early music (with a project on Gesualdo da Venosa) and even a collaboration with DJ Bonnot (the album “Drops”). For me, it is not a matter of jumping from one thing to another, but rather of exploring different musical situations through my own language. These are long-term cycles of exploration, but this is what makes me feel alive.
Panorchestra brings together eight musicians and combines composition, improvisation and different musical backgrounds. What makes this project special to you, and what can the audience at the Belgrade Jazz Festival expect from the concert?
Tino Tracanna: Panorchestra has a unique history: essentially, it is an expanded version of an original piano-less quartet formed by myself, Massimiliano Milesi, Giulio Corini, and Filippo Sala. We worked with this quartet for several years and recorded three albums. When I decided to expand the group into an octet — adding young musicians whose work I had long followed — Massimiliano and I rearranged the quartet’s repertoire based on ideas developed during our years of collaboration: relatively free improvisation rooted in deep jazz experience yet not tethered to specific jazz idioms; an interest in both contemporary and ethnic music; instrumental interplay; and spontaneity. I hope the Belgrade audience enjoys a concert that is not only interesting but also quirky and entertaining.
You have already performed at the Belgrade Jazz Festival with the Paolo Fresu Quintet, and we hope you have some good memories of that concert. How does it feel to come back to Belgrade this time with your own project?
Tino Tracanna: I have wonderful memories of the concert with Paolo Fresu’s quintet — a group I still collaborate with today. Paolo’s quintet has played a major role in my career: forty years of making music together, along with countless concerts and albums! However, coming here with a project of my own is particularly exciting for me, as it allows me to put myself out there in an even more personal way.
Italian jazz has had a strong presence in Serbia, and many prominent and young Italian jazz musicians have performed at the Belgrade Jazz Festival over the years. How do you see the importance of this connection? Are there any Serbian jazz musicians you know, have collaborated with, or whose music you have heard?
Tino Tracanna: Young Italian jazz artists struggle to find opportunities in Italy. I run a showcase for young talent called “Scintille” as part of Bergamo Jazz, one of Italy’s major jazz festivals and an event to which I owe a great deal in terms of the creation of Panorchestra. I was determined to launch this showcase precisely to demonstrate the wealth of ideas and talented young musicians in Italy; Bergamo Jazz has supported this small yet significant and vibrant initiative for ten years now. Any opportunity for young Italian groups to perform abroad is crucial for them, and the Belgrade Jazz Festival is a vital milestone on the international stage — just as it is for me personally. I have never played with Serbian musicians, but for some years now, very interesting and original music has been emerging from that region, particularly when indigenous musical elements are fused with the great jazz tradition.
Looking back at your career, you have worked with musicians from many different generations, countries and musical backgrounds. How have these encounters shaped the way you listen, improvise and create music today?
Tino Tracanna: Yes, I’ve worked with many different musicians. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Franco D’Andrea; essentially, he was the first to give me the opportunity to work at a high level and, above all, to confront me with entirely new musical challenges. I collaborated with him roughly from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, and I learned a great deal from him — he was my senior. Meanwhile, there was the wonderful experience with Fresu, which, as I mentioned, is still ongoing, and the solo challenge with Paolo was incredibly stimulating. Beyond them, I owe my career to many other musicians — some well-known, others less so, but all highly talented — who invited me to bring their music to life. In fact, I have over 100 albums to my credit, the majority featuring original music. Interpreting fresh, new music by fellow musicians is one of the things I enjoy most; it has provided me with a wealth of experience and countless new ideas.
The 42nd Belgrade Jazz Festival takes place from 21 to 24 October at the Belgrade Youth Center, presenting 13 concerts by leading international and Serbian artists, followed by a closing jam session. This year, 12 ensembles are making their Belgrade Jazz Festival debut, spanning a wide range of styles, from blues, bebop and post-punk to hip-hop, R&B, neo-soul, flamenco, Latin, funk, mainstream jazz and avant-garde.
The festival is organized by the Belgrade Youth Center. Patrons of the 42nd Belgrade Jazz Festival are the City of Belgrade – City Administration – Secretariat for Culture and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia. Friends of the festival are SOKOJ and DPC Networks. The festival is supported by the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrade, Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Portugal and Instituto Camões, Zbigniew Seifert Foundation and Mid Atlantic Arts. The festival’s creative concept and visual identity are by McCann Belgrade.
