Although Ray Gelato’s surname means “ice cream” in Italian, there was nothing “chilly” about his group’s performance in Orvieto at Umbria Jazz Winter this past December.
Pino and I joined in the crowd gathered for an aperitif and Ray Gelato and the Giants music in the crenellated medieval Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo.
This medieval palazzo – erected around the 14th-century – was seat of a key institutional figure of the city during the Middle Ages, il Capitano del Popolo (“Captain of the People”).
The Capitano del Popolo was a very important figure in many towns throughout Italy, representing the populace and the medieval guilds.
The palace has undergone changes and restoration over the centuries and today is a fully-equipped congress center. In late December for the past thirty years the music of jazz, rock, swing and country western has filled the vaulted halls of the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo during Umbria Jazz Winter
One night, Ray Gelato and the Giants enthused all at a late December jazz dinner in a massive vaulted ambience of the palazzo (traces of frescoes still visible on the back walls):
I made a short video while at the performance which you can see here.
And hope these photos give you a feel of the good times:
Mille grazie, Ray Gelato and group – and hope to see you again next year.
Read here about Umbria Jazz Winter in Orvieto.
Read another of my many blog notes on Umbria Jazz Winter.
See a video of another favorite group at Umbria Jazz Winter
See this video of a hit group this year at Umbria Jazz Winter.
CANNOT WAIT FOR NEW YEARS EVE WITH RAY AND THE GANG…