The late December days were icy cold in Orvieto – but jazz, blues, soul and Motown warmed up the Umbria Jazz Winter appassionati gathered in this Umbria medieval hill town gem perched on a volcanic rock plateau.
Including us: we never miss this event, such a perfect way to celebrate our December 30th anniversary.
The glorious 13th-century Duomo, stately medieval civic buildings, the elegant neoclassical theater – and the charming winding backstreets – are all music venues.
On our second Orvieto day, we headed into a backstreet in front of the Duomo……
…..on our way to the Ristorante San Francesco for a jazz lunch.
Last year, we’d enjoyed the Motown music there of the the New Orleans Mystics – and were ready for a second helping.
Between sips of wine and nibbles of the different courses of the buffet lunch, the public filling the restaurant clapped to the music beats….
…..and the Mystics got them up and dancing, too….
At times, the Mystics stepped off the stage to roam from table-to-table crooning Motown melodies…
…or twanging a sizzling electric guitar…
And for “My Girl,” some of us “girls” were pulled gently right onto the stage to join them in singing and dancing.
After their show, many an enthusiastic mille grazie slowed down the Mystics as they left the stage:
A hand-written scrap of paper lay on the now-empty stage below a mike. It was their program.
Motown memories in a bellissimo medieval Umbrian hilltown: no better anniversary celebration.
Read about another group enthusing Orvieto jazz fans
Read about the 2018 New Orleans Mystics jazz lunch
Click here to read about a memorable Orvieto anniversary dinner
Click here for more news on Umbria Jazz Winter
See Pino here with another hit group at a recent Orvieto jazz festival
