JAM - Jazz Appreciation Month Livorno / April Jazz
A full month of jazz featuring concerts, exhibitions, books, cinema, and dance in Livorno
About April Jazz Livorno
Livorno: Jazz Capital for a Month
Every year, throughout the month of April, Livorno transforms into a vast, city-wide stage dedicated to jazz. JAM - Jazz Appreciation Month, also known as April Jazz, is one of the most cherished cultural events in the capital of the Livorno province, Tuscany. It is a marathon of nearly thirty events that brings African-American music out of theaters and into the city's daily life, filling clubs, literary cafés, art galleries, bookstores, cinemas, and the prestigious Pietro Mascagni Conservatory.
A festival born around UNESCO
The event is promoted by the UNESCO Jazz Day Livorno Committee, active since 2012 and driven by musicians and cultural organizers such as Andrea Pellegrini, Chiara Carboni, and Maurizio Mini. The festival follows the spirit of International Jazz Day, proclaimed by UNESCO and celebrated worldwide on April 30th. In Livorno, this celebration does not end in a single day but expands into an entire month of initiatives, supported by the Municipality of Livorno and in collaboration with the Pietro Mascagni Conservatory and numerous local entities.
More than just concerts
What makes the Livorno JAM special is its multidisciplinary nature. Alongside concerts and jam sessions, there are jazz-inspired painting exhibitions, book presentations, poetry readings, film and documentary screenings, and theater and dance performances. Jazz thus becomes the lens through which to view a seaside city with a cosmopolitan identity, spanning iconic venues like the Cinema Arsenale, the Def6 club, art galleries, and historic downtown cafés.
The grand finale at the Conservatory
The highlight of the festival is the grand Jam Session on April 30th, hosted in the Cesare Chiti Auditorium of the Pietro Mascagni Conservatory. Here, professors, students, and professional musicians take the stage together to celebrate International Jazz Day in a free-entry evening that has attracted a large and passionate audience for years.
Why it's worth attending
- A full month of programming: it is rare to find a jazz festival in Tuscany that spans such a long duration.
- Many free-entry events distributed throughout the city.
- An approach that blends music, visual arts, literature, and cinema.
- The perfect opportunity to discover Livorno and its neighborhoods by following a sonic itinerary.
April Jazz Livorno — edition 2026
The 13th edition of April Jazz confirmed the widespread festival formula, with events distributed throughout the month in clubs, cafés, galleries, cinemas, and the Pietro Mascagni Conservatory of Livorno. Thirty events and over fifty artists brought the city to life, weaving together concerts, jam sessions, exhibitions, readings, and screenings. The traditional weekly Wednesday evening appointments at the Def6 club with the Live+ JAM JAZZ nights were confirmed. The grand finale took place on April 30th, International Jazz Day as proclaimed by UNESCO, with the large free-entry Jam Session in the Cesare Chiti Auditorium.
Programme April Jazz Livorno 2026
April 1 - Opening
- Inauguration of the Claudio Calvetti exhibition Trane & Miles (Cambiare Casa, via Indipendenza 18)
- 18:00 - Nicola Carrai Stick Solo concert
- 22:00 - Def6 jazz jam (via della Bassata 6c)
April 2
- 18:15 and 20:15 - A qualcuno piace jazz, Caffè il Palcoscenico
April 4
- 18:00 - Nino Pellegrini Trio (Cambiare Casa)
April 8
- 18:00 - Vernissage of the exhibition at Symphony Record Shop
- 21:00 - Screening of the film Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (Cinema Arsenale)
April 9
- 18:00 - Musica Criminale
- 22:00 - SAIHS jazz concert at Def6
April 11
- 18:30 - Reading Porto di Livorno by Hermann Hesse (Cruise Terminal)
April 16-22
- Jazz Eyes exhibition (Melograno Art Gallery, via Marradi 62/68)
Every Wednesday (April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29)
- 22:00 - Live+ JAM JAZZ at Def6, evenings curated by Matteo Carnevali and Federico Monzani
April 30 - UNESCO International Jazz Day
- 20:30 - Grand Jam Session, Cesare Chiti Auditorium, Pietro Mascagni Conservatory (free entry)
- 23:30 - After-hours at Def6
Highlights April Jazz Livorno 2026
Prices April Jazz Livorno 2026
Practical information — April Jazz Livorno
Getting there
Livorno is well-connected: the Livorno Centrale station is served by regional and long-distance trains along the Tyrrhenian line. By car, it can be reached via the A12 motorway (Genoa-Rosignano) and the FI-PI-LI highway from Florence and Pisa. The nearest airport is Pisa's Galileo Galilei, located approximately 20 km away.
Venues
Events take place in various locations across the city: Pietro Mascagni Conservatory (Cesare Chiti Auditorium), Cinema Arsenale, Def6 club, art galleries, and downtown cafés and bookstores. It is recommended to check the program for the specific venue of each event.
Admission
Many events are free to attend, particularly the final Jam Session on April 30th. Some screenings and performances require a ticket. Please check the conditions for each individual event on the official program.
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Where does it take place — April Jazz Livorno
Auditorium Cesare Chiti - Conservatorio Pietro Mascagni