The Saxophone Museum of Fiumicino returns to enchant music lovers with the fifth edition of the Fai Bei Suoni summer festival. The event, directed by Attilio Berni, will also this year offer evenings with high quality music in a suggestive open air setting. The event, which will be held in the museum gardens, will begin on June 15th and end on July 20th, with weekly appointments every weekend.
The Festival program: a journey through genres and styles
The 2024 edition of Fai Bei Suoni will open with a double appointment. On Saturday 15 June, Gianni Vancini’s fiery quintet will present “Made in Italy”, a concert that embraces multiple sounds, from jazz ballads to new soul styles, passing through sounds inspired by Tower of Power. The following evening, Sunday 16 June, it will be the turn of the brother duo Yumi and Kiro Camilletti who will give life to a fascinating musical journey through flute and piano.
On Saturday 22 June, the Big Night Players will pay homage to post-war swing with a performance that will evoke the influences of icons such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sam Butera and Louis Prima. On June 29th the quintet led by trumpeter Michael Supnick will be the protagonist, celebrating the style of the small orchestras of New Orleans and paying homage to the legendary Louis Armstrong, known as “Satchmo”.
The performances and artists scheduled
July 6th will mark the return to the stage of the IESAINO’ band, which with vocalist Giulia Maglione will propose an entirely Neapolitan tribute to the great Pino Daniele, entitled “Mal di te”. The following week, Saturday 13 July, the voice of Roberta Vaudo and her band The Blue Whistles will conquer the public with a sparkling repertoire that ranges from rhythm & blues to swing to the jump blues of the fifties.
Closing the event on Saturday 20 July will be Red Pellini’s “RetroSax” project, designed specifically for a band made up of three saxophones (alto, tenor and baritone) plus a rhythm section. This show will take the audience on a musical journey spanning the years from 1920 to 1940, delivering authentic Mainstream Swing.
The Saxophone Museum: a one-of-a-kind collection
The Saxophone Museum of Fiumicino, inaugurated in 2019, represents an institution of international importance. Its collection, personally curated by Attilio Berni, includes around 600 instruments and tells the evolutionary history of the saxophone. You can admire historical pieces such as the first Adolphe Sax models from 1867 and the Lyricon from 1972, the first attempt to combine electronics with sax.
The collection includes rare and curious instruments, from the small 32 cm Eppelsheim soprillo to the gigantic 2 meter Orsi double bass, from Ettore Sommaruga’s Grafton Plastic to the legendary Conn O-Sax, up to the Jazzophone, the trumpet-sax with double bell, and many others. Instruments that belonged to illustrious figures such as Rudy Wiedoeft, Sonny Rollins and Marcel Mule are displayed in what is one of the most complete and fascinating collections dedicated to the saxophone. To complete the visitor experience, five thematic sections include sax-shaped toys, historical photographs, accessories, vinyl and documents, testifying to the instrument’s immense cultural influence.
Useful information
Tickets to attend the Fai Bei Suoni shows cost 17 euros and can be purchased directly at the Saxophone Museum or in advance on the Liveticket circuit. Each evening will be enriched by a “home made” aperitif dinner costing 15 euros, offered before the start of the performances.
The Saxophone Museum is located in via dei Molini snc (corner of via Reggiani), 00054 Maccarese, Fiumicino (RM). For further details, the museum can be contacted by telephone or email. Opening hours vary; we recommend checking in advance to plan your visit.
