Watch YouTube Video Below!
Yes, I know you’ve seen this post before….but it’s Umbria Jazz Winter #20, so I’m updating the line-up and reminding everyone that there’s a 6-day party going on in Orvieto!
Like scrappy, bebopping Pied Pipers, Perugia’s popular street band Funk Off gets this party started with a nightly parade that snakes through Orvieto’s narrow and ancient cobblestone alleyways. Music lovers, young and old, scamper and skip behind these energetic hipsters as their infectious beat draws more and more followers along the route. The bluesy procession ends with an impromptu jam session in the Piazza della Repubblica, where you’ll find you can’t help but tap your feet, move your body and smile: It’s Umbria Jazz Winter #20 and “baby, it’s cold outside”.
The international flavor and welcoming spirit amidst the holiday lights and chilly, frigid temperatures creates a unique atmosphere that makes this festival something special. For five nights, starting from December 28 to January 1, Jazz fans flock from all over Italy and beyond to partake in the music and brotherhood for which this festival has become world renowned. Performing on stage this year: Gregory Porter Septet, Dee Alexander & Evolution Ensemble, Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell, Gary Brown & Feelings, Giovanni Tommaso Reunion Quintet, John Batiste, and many more.
2012 goes out with a bang! Capodanno is celebrated in the Piazza del Popolo at midnight, ringing in the New Year with a fireworks display and free outdoor concert. On New Year’s Day arrive at the famous Duomo early to secure your spot for the first Mass of 2013. Inside this majestic Cathedral you’ll witness something you don’t see every day; hymns sung at a Roman Catholic “Mass for Peace and Gospel” by Dr. Bobby Jones and the Nashville Gospel Superchoir. Hold onto your seats because this joint will be jumpin’!
For more information about the festival go to: http://www.umbriajazz.com/Home.aspx
SEE YOUTUBE VIDEO OF FUNK OFF HERE:
Orvieto or Bust: 
Hmmm. So I went to their website and it appears that Funk Off have a couple of CDs, but not obviously for download on the Internet that I can find. This begs the question; when we come to Italy in a few weeks, where is the best place to look for jazz CDs?
Hi,
I am not sure I can specifically tell you where you can to find Jazz CDs in Italy, but I imagine at music stores. Rome has a lot of big stores and you should have no problem. But if you are going to be in Umbria before the 16th, the Umbria Jazz Summer 2012 is happening in Perugia, and Funk Off will be one of the bands performing. Here is the link to the website to see the program. I am sure you can by their CDs then. Also, you can email the leader of the band. He speaks English very well and is a great guy. Good luck and thanks for writing. Toni
http://www.umbriajazz.it/CategoriaMedia.aspx?idc=180&explicit=SI
I am not very good at Tech things, but I do know that when I am in Italy, I can’t view or download things from the US. One has to have an ISP address to do that. Perhaps it’s the same thing from US to Italy?