We’re just two months away from the inaugural edition of GroundUP Music Festival Alberobello (GUMF-A), which is sure to be an incredibly memorable musical and cultural event. GUMF-A follows in the mode of the well-established, perennially exciting GroundUP Music Festival Miami Beach that has taken place nine times since the inaugural 2017 edition. “Each night, it will see a set from 5-time Grammy Award-winning Snarky Puppy with special guest appearances by some of Italy’s most innovative and expressive instrumentalists,” according to the festival website. I’ll plan to elaborate a bit more once the daily schedule is released.
On top of that, there will be two additional sets on the main stage as well as several sets on two additional stages throughout Alberobello, the picturesque Apulian town and UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its ancient architectural treasure, the grout-less stone trullo. This is as close as I’ll ever get to seeing one of these places that could easily belong on one of my favorite shows, “The Amazing Race,” but in a much more relaxed setting. Here’s my rundown on the fantastic lineup of artists – some that are well-known to me and many that are brand-new, exciting performers!
Description: The Trulli of Alberobello © UNESCO
The Lineup
Snarky Puppy is naturally the centerpiece of any GroundUP Music Festival. The band will perform each night, and from the description, it looks like it will be a mix of a normal Snarky Puppy set and a Family Dinner set with special guests.
The YouTube playlist below includes at least one video from every artist performing at GUMF-A, to reflect what we are in store for at the festival. Each video in the grid can be click selected to show in the player to get a taste of that performance.
Federico Malaman, one of Italy’s premier bassists, looks to be the first Family Dinner guest. He has played with some of the most famous jazz artists in the world, including George Benson, Wilson Pickett, Al Jarreau, Kid Creole, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, and Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick (Incognito). Will his session include dueling basses with Michael League? That would be amazing.
Francesca Tandoi is a pianist and vocalist and a shooting star of the European jazz scene. Her playing is exhilarating and really swings. I confess that I’m not familiar with her up to now but she reminds me a bit of Diana Krall, the great Canadian singer and piano player. Tandoi played with Snarky Puppy during their Umbria Jazz set in 2023. This is one I’m super excited for.
Adriano Viterbini is an Italian guitarist and composer. From what I can see, he also plays a variety of other instruments with a cinematic, traditional flair. I’m eager to hear more, especially in such a picturesque setting.
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a French-American jazz vocalist born in Miami, Florida. She has won three Grammys for Best Jazz Vocal Album and appeared at GUMF 2020 as well as the Newport Jazz Festival, among others. Cécile’s latest album is sung in French and Creole reflecting her Haitian heritage.
Bassekou Kouyate plays the West African ngoni (lute). He was a performer at GUMF ’23 and ’24 in Miami, including a late-night set in the second year. Amy Sacko is Bassekou’s wife and dubbed “the Tina Turner of Mali” by the British music magazine MOJO. I’m a big fan of West African music so very interested to see this dynamic team together.
Israel Fernández is a Spanish flamenco singer and has been nominated for a Latin Grammy Award.
Kinga Głyk is a funky bass player from Poland. Kinga was scheduled to be on the GUMF ’24 program but was in a car accident just before and couldn’t make it. Her 2024 album “Real Life” (album review here) was one of my top albums of the year so I’m thrilled to be seing her at this event.
Bombino is a Tuareg singer and guitarist from Niger. He sings in his native language and lived in exile for several years due to geopolitical concerns in his homeland when the government viewed guitars as a source of political rebellion. I’m sure this will be an amazing set.
Becca Stevens is a veteran of the GroundUP Music scene with her first exposure during the Family Dinner, Volume 2 recording sessions in New Orleans in 2015. She has been a major force on the label ever since with her own albums and as part of David Crosby’s album “Here If You Listen” and part of Crosby’s “Lighthouse Band with Michael League and Michelle Willis.
Jake and Abe are an American duo, having met while working with Meshell Ndegeocello in 2016. Their music has an old school soul feel to it and will be an interesting contrast to some of the other “world” music sets.
Banda Magda is another mainstay of past GUMF events and Magda Giannikou actually appeared on Family Dinner, Vol 1. Magda also has led a cappella sessions on the beach so she is a fan favorite. Banda Magda sets are high energy with occasional singalong numbers as well.
Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino is” a traditional music ensemble from Salento, Italy. The seven piece band and dancer perform a contemporary style of Southern Italy’s traditional Pizzica music and dance.” (Wikipedia). Apparently, it’s traditional music featuring hand percussion, violin and accordion which is a grouping of which I’m a huge fan.
Fuensanta (Mendez) is a terrific multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Mexico. She was one of the surprise highlights from GUMF ’24. In particular, the late-night solo set with her singing and playing double bass had everyone mesmerized. I’m really excited to have another chance to see her.
Söndörgő brings a taste of Hungarian music to the fest. Söndörgő’s signature instrument, the Hungaro-Serbian tambura is similar to a mandolin. The band is made up of three brothers, Áron, Benjamin and Salamon Eredics, plus cousin Dávid Eredics and Ábel Dénes, the only non-family member, on bass (from their website). Their latest album, “Gyezz,” features Chris Potter, another GUMF alumnus, on sax!
Carolina Bubbico is an Italian composer and singer. The billing says she’ll be with Corolla, which, as far as I can see, is a young co-ed chorale. That should be quite a celebration!
Rachele Andrioli, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, “is one of the most interesting Apulian voices whose popularity is growing as well as in Italy and abroad, as testified by the participation to prestigious festivals of world music, jazz and classical, and her collaboration with important international artists… Rachele starts from the popular Apulian repertoire to skillfully blend it with other musical worlds. During her live shows, she accompanies her voice with tambourines, harmonic flutes, harps, string instruments and electronics. She is also committed to the development of polyphonic singing, running workshops both in Italy and abroad.” (https://www.marsab.net/rachele-andrioli/)