{"id":4711,"date":"2025-07-14T10:06:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/?p=4711"},"modified":"2025-07-16T16:18:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:18:40","slug":"omar-sosa-paolo-fresu-udin-jazz-2025-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/omar-sosa-paolo-fresu-udin-jazz-2025-review\/","title":{"rendered":"A Musical Feast: Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu Serve Soulful Stories at Udin&Jazz 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Food as Sound, Sound as Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Castello di Udine, July 14, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a calm summer Monday evening in the stunning setting of Castello di Udine, as part of the 35th edition of the Udin&Jazz Festival<\/a>, Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu delivered a concert to remember. Performing music from their latest duo release Food<\/em>, along with pieces from their earlier albums Alma<\/em> (2012) and Eros<\/em> (2016), the duo created an atmosphere of deep spontaneity, collaboration, and mutual respect.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of Food<\/em> is more than musical\u2014it’s philosophical. It’s a sonic investigation of taste, aesthetics, and ethics. Over the course of a year, Sosa and Fresu recorded sounds in restaurants and wineries, capturing the voices and rhythms of those who live and work around food. These field recordings became the album\u2019s core texture\u2014looped and layered to form a living backdrop for a suite of original compositions.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Sosa<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

They opened with Father Yamb\u00fa<\/em>, where the hiss of frying oil and the clatter of kitchenware\u2014evoking musique concr\u00e8te\u2014served as a rhythmic bed. Omar Sosa not only commanded the piano but also masterfully handled synthesizers, sequencers, and real-time loop triggering, even incorporating vocal narration. Nothing was pre-recorded in the traditional sense\u2014the duo\u2019s interaction with the electronics was dynamic and improvisational, proving that when used tastefully, technology becomes an instrument in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a shift to their earlier repertoire, the duo played a piece from Eros<\/em> that reaffirmed the acoustic core of their artistry. After a moving piano introduction from Sosa, Fresu responded with percussive textures before moving to flugelhorn. The groove blossomed. They flowed together in unforced improvisation, immersed in a kind of deep musical conversation that can only occur between truly honest musicians\u2014communicating on what felt like a near-telepathic level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\"Omar<\/div>
\"Omar<\/div>
\"Paolo<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Deep Listening, Deep Connection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Afterward, Fresu paused to explain the concept behind Food<\/em>, describing the songs as tales of recipes, culinary settings, and sociability. He then shared how he first heard the song What Lies Ahead<\/em> at a Peter Gabriel concert in Bologna, calling it \u201cbellissima.\u201d<\/em> Their own version was recorded for Eros<\/em>, and Gabriel\u2019s response? Also: \u201cBellissima.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their live rendition of What Lies Ahead<\/em> was pure magic\u2014beginning with Fresu’s lyrical interpretation of the melody and building into an energetic improvisation. Sosa even invited the audience to clap the beat, transforming the courtyard into a living, breathing extension of the music.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Electronics and Improv in Perfect Balance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Returning to Food<\/em>, they performed Greens<\/em>, which features a rap by Kokayi on the album. Though the rap was pre-recorded, it blended seamlessly with the live texture, particularly as the looped phrase \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just eat up\u201d<\/em> danced around Sosa\u2019s rhythmic foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came Angustia<\/em> from Alma<\/em>, infused with unmistakable Spanish flavors. Their unison licks, interplay, and sense of space were astonishingly fluid. As they launched into Yuca y Magnoca<\/em> from Food<\/em>, Sosa laid down the groove on Rhodes, and Fresu\u2014ever the sonic adventurer\u2014used a fork and knife to create percussive accents during the piano solo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the final piece of their program, Sosa picked up a pan and added live percussion, while Fresu sculpted an almost synth-like atmosphere with his trumpet and effects. The boundaries between sound sources blurred\u2014the line between acoustic and electronic vanished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Joyful Encore and a Communal Farewell<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They reserved the most touching moment for the encore. It began with a hauntingly beautiful rendition of Fabrizio De Andr\u00e9\u2019s \u00c2 \u00e7\u00edmma<\/em>, which gradually gave way to the familiar melody of the jazz standard Blue Moon<\/em>. From there, they gently transitioned into the singalong melody from their composition Alma<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sosa invited the audience to lend their voices, while Fresu soared above them with lyrical improvisations. It was an intimate, collective moment\u2014part celebration, part farewell\u2014that lingered in the warm evening air. Long after the final notes had faded, many in the crowd could still be heard singing or whistling the melody as they made their way out of the castle courtyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu proved themselves to be musical master chefs\u2014improvisers, storytellers, and sonic explorers. With intuitive interplay, thoughtful use of electronics, and an atmosphere that combined stunning lighting, pristine sound, and the warm breeze of Castello di Udine, they served a concert that was nothing short of a musical dinner to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information regarding Udin&jazz 2025 visit their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu album Food<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\/
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<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Food as Sound, Sound as Story Castello di Udine, July 14, 2025 On a calm summer Monday evening in the stunning setting of Castello di Udine, as part of the 35th edition of the Udin&Jazz Festival, Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu delivered a concert to remember. Performing music from their latest duo release Food, along with pieces […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,38,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-concerts","category-italy","category-jazz"],"yoast_head":"\nOmar Sosa & Paolo Fresu Live at Udin&Jazz 2025 Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu dazzled at Udin&Jazz 2025 in Castello di Udine with a live set blending jazz, electronics, and soulful improvisation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/omar-sosa-paolo-fresu-udin-jazz-2025-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Musical Feast: Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu Serve Soulful Stories at Udin&Jazz 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jazz meets storytelling in the heart of Friuli. At the 35th Udin&Jazz Festival, Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu delivered a masterclass in live improvisation, blending acoustic mastery with real-time electronics. From sizzling kitchen loops to lyrical trumpet lines, they turned Food into music and Castello di Udine into a soundscape of connection, spontaneity, and soul.\ud83c\udfb7 Read the full review at The Concert Witness.#UdinJazz35 #OmarSosa #PaoloFresu #LiveJazz #JazzFestival #CastelloDiUdine #JazzReview\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/omar-sosa-paolo-fresu-udin-jazz-2025-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Concert Witness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-14T10:06:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T16:18:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DSCF5716-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" 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