Sal8 è Jazz

Winter jazz in Francavilla Fontana

Sal8 è Jazz is the winter jazz series that, year after year, keeps music lovers company in Francavilla Fontana, a city in the Province of Brindisi in the heart of Puglia. With its "Thursday Live" format, the series turns every Thursday evening into a date with great live music, offering a schedule that runs from late November through to the following spring.

The event is the natural continuation, during the colder season, of the summer festival Francavilla è Jazz: a project that the Cultural Association of the same name has been running for years to make the Francavilla area a reference point for jazz music in northern Salento and the Upper Salento region.

Sal8, an intimate club setting

The beating heart of the series is Sal8, a cocktail bar on Via Alessandro Manzoni that transforms into a jazz club for the occasion. Here, the audience experiences concerts in an intimate and engaging setting, with the warmth typical of small venues where musicians and spectators share the same space. It is a different experience from the large summer stages: only a few meters separate the performers from the listeners, and the music is savored like a fine cocktail, without any rush.

Quality artistic direction

The artistic direction, entrusted to Alfredo Iaia and Roberto Passaro for the Francavilla è Jazz Association, builds a lineup each season that weaves together three elements:

• Apulian jazz protagonists, who bring the rich regional scene to the stage;
• Nationally and internationally renowned musicians, including American pianist Danny Grisset;
• Emerging young talents, to whom the series dedicates ample space as a showcase and opportunity for growth.

Past editions have featured names such as Daniele Scannapieco, Dario Deidda, Roberto Ottaviano, Vince Abbracciante, Pierluigi Balducci, Giuseppe Bassi, and many others, proving the project's ability to attract top-tier musicians to an intimate setting.

A key piece of Francavilla's cultural life

With Sal8 è Jazz, the Municipality of Francavilla Fontana enriches its cultural offerings during the winter months, when outdoor events give way to indoor experiences. The series helps keep the Apulian jazz scene alive all year round and establishes Francavilla Fontana as a small capital of auteur jazz in the Province of Brindisi.