Blue Tangerine

Blue Tangerine is a nine-piece jazz ensemble, featuring the best of young talent from Malta and France. The band was born in July of 2016 when the musicians met for the first time to play a concert at The Malta Jazz Festival, as part of an exchange program between the two countries.

Given the success of this fruitful collaboration, they have since played a series of concerts in France in 2017, and recorded a 6-track EP. The band were invited to perform again at The Malta Jazz Festival in July of 2018.

All the members of Blue Tangerine have a solid jazz background, and their repertoire is inspired by Brazilian music; notably compositions by the great Hermeto Pascoal and his « Universal Music », as well as by Pixinguinha, a master of « Choro » from the beginning of the XXth century.

The band also performs original music, with compositions written and arranged by the members of the group. Under the direction of band leader Vincent Jacqz (p), their original music fuses jazz improvisation and festive Brazilian rhythms with haunting melodies sung by Angela Vella Zarb. Florent Hinschberger (tpt), Benoit Crauste (sax), Philippe Lopes De Sa (sax), and Michel Berelowitch (tb) make up the brass section, and the rhythm section features Karl Galea (g), Dean Montanaro (b), and Joseph Camilleri (d).

Blue Tangerine recorded their first full-length album in March 2019 (Studio de Meudon, FR), launching it in concert at Offbeat Music Bar (MT) and at the Sunset-Sunside (FR), in September 2019. In October 2019 they were invited to perform the full album at the Studio de l’Ermitage in Paris.

The album was well-received by Maltese and French audiences and given very positive reviews by French music publications “CultureJazz” and “JazzNews”.

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Line Up

Florent Hinschberger - Trumpet 

Benoit Crauste - Saxophone 

Philippe Lopes de Sa - Saxophone 

William Becuwe - Trombone 

Angela Vella Zarb - Vocals 

Dean Montanaro - Bass 

Vincent Jacqz - Piano 

Joseph Camilleri - Drums 

Karl Galea - Guitar

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