This is our second piece about boats in as many days, but with Malta sweltering right now, all thoughts turn to water. Having been stuck in the 1pm rush hour from Valletta today, with my son singing ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen Go out in the Midday Sun’ behind me, I can tell you I was pleased to get this cool news when I got home and checked mail…

Malta Jazz Festival Cruises
I can think of fewer better ways to spend a sultry July night in Malta than listening to some world-class jazz with a cool breeze from sea enveloping me. If that appeals to you too, then listen up, because booking’s just opened for a places on a Turkish Gulet, the Hera, which is running Malta Jazz Festival (15,16,17 July) evening cruises of Grand Harbour with a buffet included.

Those veteran Jazz Festival goers among us will have seen the boats anchor up each year for one of the most memorable seats in town. The Hera is a sponsor of the festival, so has its rightful place among the craft that are bound to jostle along the wharf near us landlubbers and the stage. Even if you’re not on board, the yachts bobbing nearby make the setting uniquely Malta Jazz.

Booking Details
Tickets are €50. The package includes a 45-minute cruise of Grand Harbour taking in the sunset, and a cold buffet and welcome drink.

Departure from Sliema Ferries opposite Burger King/ Nazzarenu Church.

Time 8.00pm – 11.30pm
Price €50 per night
Transport included.

For further details, e-mail:
info@heracruises.com or call +356 21330583/ 21347483

To book, call 79445448

Take a walk through Valletta’s back streets, and you’ll come across old shop fronts with wonderful names, often faded or peeling with the patina of the years. Most are shuttered up relics of once busy shops. Some sport the names of the partners in the family firms while others prefix their wares or services with adjectives we’d rarely see in adverts today, such as ‘economical’ or ‘bespoke’. These shop fronts are the signs of Valletta of old, the ‘Vanishing Valletta’ documented by Maltese photographer David Pisani.

Not many of these old shops that were once the lifeblood of Valletta a century or more ago live on today. But one family of retailers can trace its history back that far; its story parallels that of Malta through World Wars, slumps and booms. It can document also consumers’ changing tastes in fashion and furnishings from Victoriana to 1930s’ modernism and 1950s’ post-war utility and beyond.

The firm, now run by the grandsons and great grandchildren of the founding brothers, is Camilleri Paris Mode, and it’s just turned 120. Once called ‘À La Ville de Lyon’, and located on the corner of Merchants Street and St John’s Square tucked next to the Co-Cathedral, it stocked general drapery and advertised that is was a “naval & military contractor”. According to an old newspaper cutting, its wares included “silks, woolen, cotton, linen goods, damask, tapestry, the latest novelties, and faldettas” (the traditional hooded cloak women wore in Malta and Gozo, known also as the għonnella).

The business witnessed its ups and downs and the story of the Camilleri family mirrors that of Malta. It grasped the market in the Fin de siècle era when it imported the lastest in Parisian fashion accessories to adorn Malta’s well-heeled society ladies, as well as ensuring wisely that it offered value and service to all strata of clientele; it saw a brother almost emigrate to Argentina; it saw the family business split and diverge; it had hard times following the First World War; and it saw its premises and the city around it all but destroyed by World War II.

As it celebrates 120 years in trade, Camilleri Paris Mode – its name still resonating with its history as a purveyor of Paris fashions – is no longer solely about fabrics. The firm’s now three shops, one still on Merchants’ Street, offer also wedding services (lists, gowns and accessories), design and manufacture of sofas, wines and delicacies, and lifestyle and living ranges suited to every interior from baroque palaces to marina penthouses.

Its nerve centre is thoroughly contemporary and housed in spanking new premises in Rabat. But appearances deceive. If there are two adjectives that describe CPM (as those in the know call it) today, just as 120 years ago, I’d say they are ‘bespoke’ and ‘fine’. Whether you’re calling in to get a single bottle of wine or talking about the interior of an entire flat, the family and its family of staff give you the kind of old-world service that you thought went out, well, a hundred years ago. It survived, when many shut up shop around it. There’s a lesson in that somewhere…

Photo: Rubelli Fabrics, courtesy of Camilleri Paris Mode.

“I always try to find the perfect balance between artists who are big crowd-pullers and others who are more challenging to the ear. It is also my role to expose the Maltese audiences to what’s happening on the jazz scene today. The jazz festival is not just a social event where people gather to drink beer – it is a wonderful opportunity to discover new artists who are creating new exciting music,” says Sandro Zerafa, Malta Jazz’s Artistic Director, and a professional jazz musician himself.

Sandro took over the role for last year’s festival and has had the job of reviving it musically and bringing it back to its jazz roots and its favoured venue of Ta’ Liesse, below Valletta alongside Grand Harbour. Its success last year once again as a pure Jazz festival shows that the Islands can cater to a jazz-inclined crowd.

That said, contrast is the keyword at Malta Jazz 2010 (15,16,17 July), the 20th edition of the festival. This year’s line-up offers a panorama of the contemporary jazz scene, with all its diversity, from u-jazz to fusion, from vocal jazz to world music. Once more, Malta Jazz Festival features the cream of today’s jazz scene, presenting a star-studded line-up and offering a palette of artists catering for both the layman and the seasoned jazz enthusiast.

The Programme
This year’s edition highlights include rising star bass-player and vocalist Esperanza Spalding (clip below) and nu-jazz act The Bad Plus. Esperanza’s own brand of fusion has been headlining jazz festivals around the globe for the past few years and the Malta Jazz Festival this year is proud to present her unique blend of groove, vocal and post-bop jazz. The Bad Plus is one of the most original and influential jazz outfits to have emerged in recent years – a postmodern power jazz trio, notorious for their quirky renditions of Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, David Bowie and Aphex Twin.

The 2010 edition places a particular emphasis on fusion music, with the inclusion of guitar hero Grammy award nominee Mike Stern, (featuring two other familiar names with the Maltese jazz crowd – Randy Brecker and Dave Weckl) and Cameroonian singer/songwriter/virtuoso bass player Richard Bona, a past collaborator of Pat Metheny and the late Joe Zawinul.

Cutting-edge jazz, featuring New York’s finest, is represented by Ari Hoenig, one of the most happening musicians in New Yorkʼs club scene today. The 2010 edition of the Malta Jazz Festival features also two of the most important drummers in the contemporary jazz world – Bill Stewart and Greg Hutchinson, who will be playing with one of the festival’s headliners, saxophone player Joshua Redman.

The local jazz scene will be be represented by Francesca Galea, an up-and-coming vocal talent who will be accompanied by Brazilian pianist Leonardo Montana, and drummer Charles Gatt, the jazz festivalʼs creator, who will be leading his own quartet with Malta’s own Joe Debono on piano, and two familiar names from the Parisian jazz scene – Amy Gamlen on saxophone and Matteo Bortone on bass.

Tickets
Already on sale – at Euros 30 for the three nights, they’re a real steal.

More info
See: Malta Jazz Festival Official Blog for comment and latest.
Also, Malta Jazz Festival site
Malta Jazz on Twitter

And finally, to celebrate 20 Years of Malta Jazz
To mark the festival’s 20th anniversary a commemorative book featuring photography by Pierre Stafrace, Darrin Zammit Lupi, Joe Smith and Patrick Fenech will be published. Details to come.

One thing tourists may worry about when out and about in a foreign city is whether they will find a public toilet when and where they need one. The Mediterranean isn’t renowned for providing clean, findable public lavatories.

I remember as a child holidaying in France my mother’s preoccupation with making sure we kids ’spent a penny’ before sightseeing for the day. Back then, French public loos were non-existent or at best all you found were scantilly-clad street urinals. We usually had to buy a drink (the last thing you need) in order to use a cafe’s loos. Those were the days before ubiquitous McDonalds.

Our capital Valletta has for years been much the same experience for tourists in need of fast relief. Some less savoury locals caught short seem to have been using various corners of the city – take the stairs from St George’s Square down to the ditch parking and Yellow Garage and you’ll know what I mean. Thankfully this stinky stairwell will be swept away with Renzo Piano’s plans for City Gate.

But for the past month or so, Valletta has had a shining, exemplary public convenience. It stands where a monument to stench once stood, on the corner of Strait Street and Old Theatre Street; the old sign now painted over and complemented by an illuminated international WC symbol. Amazingly, for any building in Valletta, it has wheelchair access (adherence to EU rules no doubt).

A post about a public loo? We wouldn’t bother normally with such a banal subject, but this revamped loo isn’t any old loo. It’s a superloo of the 21st century with a nod in the direction of Valletta’s palatial past. The Grand Masters’ Palace is just a stone’s throw away after all.

The street it’s on, Strait Street, or il-Gut (the Maltese name sounding more appropriate), was famed in British Service days for its music halls and variety clubs – some less salubrious than others. The new Strait Street public toilets are designed in music hall theme. The entrance looks like the foyer of a club – a gentlemen’s club of sorts – or perhaps that of a small theatre. It is graced with heavy red drapes, sports a neon sign reminiscent of Radio City in New York, and is overseen by an attendant dressed in dinner jacket and dicky bow tie.

He wouldn’t pose for the photo unfortunately, but you might have more luck persuading him. He is bound to become a celebrity. Does he wear white satin gloves when squirting pine fresh cleaner we wonder? The whole convenience is such a male-looking preserve, I wonder too if it has nappy changing? Do contribute your user experiences in the comments section.

Visitor info:
Cost: 30c a visit
Location: Corner of Strait St and Old Theatre St, just between the two M&S’s entrances.
Interest score: 9/10
Visitor experience – I didn’t need to ‘go’ so please let us know what music is piped inside the cubicles!

Other gleaming new public loos in Malta: St Paul’s Bay, near the Sirens’ Waterpolo pitch. Cinema-style architecture, but contemporary, not true art deco.

This weekend sees two events ideal for all-round family fun – the Malta International Fireworks Festival, 29-30 April, over Grand Harbour, and on a totally different note, the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Spring Fair at Palazzo Parisio, Naxxar on Sunday 2nd May.

We covered last year’s Fireworks’ Festival, here. The write up will give you the info you need on where to watch from, and also a low-down on what to expect. Although last year our correspondent had a few words to say about the long wait between displays. I am sure the technical hitches will have been ironed out this time round – after all, the event is in its 9th year, so practice must have made perfect on how to set the blessed fireworks off!

Festival starts an hour or so after dusk – seemed to be around 9pm last night, soft launch night. If you want pole position, plan well ahead – park a good distance away (Floriana chock a block last night by 8pm). So prepare to walk a bit! More details here.

I’ve been to the last two SPCA Fairs (Spring and the Xmas one held in mid November) with my son who loved them both. The spring fair has plenty to keep kids occupied – small farm set up with ponies, sheep, goats and so on, and animals to pet, like special breed rabbits. You can buy a bucket of mixed fruit and veg to feed some of the animals. Hand washing facilities at the farm section entrance, though take your own wipes as well!

Kids also love the fairground fun, like throw-the-wet-sponge-at -mum stall! And I remember a lucky dip, and sort of coconut shy as well. Highlights include the numerous local crafts’ stall but the homemade cake and preserves stall is the place to head for first as its goodies sell out quickly! You’ll find it upstairs in the ballroom at the end. Very brave of Palazzo P to let masses of us public crowd into its prized rooms. Take in the gardens too – a joy this time of year…

Fair Times: 10.00 – 18.00, Sunday 2nd May. Details on Facebook.

Photo: courtesy Andrew Galea Debono

Edward Caruana Dingli (1876-1950) is without doubt one of the finest artists Malta has ever produced. His love for all that was beautiful and his impeccable eye for detail, coupled with an unfaltering technique, produced the most appealing and charming of paintings of the 20th century. Patrimonju Malti, a non-profit-making heritage foundation, is bringing some 250 of Caruana Dingli’s paintings together in a magnificent exhibition running in May in Valletta.

If you are a visitor to Malta, and don’t know of Caruana Dingli, the exhibition will give you an amazing insight into not only Malta’s rich artistic heritage, but also a glimpse into Island life and Maltese personalities of times past.

About the man

Born into an artistic family in Valletta in 1876, Caruana Dingli had a knack for drawing from a very young age. In 1913 he gave up his military service to fulfil his long standing ambition of becoming a full-time artist. He was well connected with the Maltese elite as well as the British government in Malta, and as a result had no problem finding work. His talent and dedication saw him rise to the top in his field, and he in fact led the artistic scene in Malta through the first half of the 20th century. Artistically, he was direct heir to Giuseppe Cali, his friend and mentor, and passed the baton on to his own students at the Malta Government School of Art. Edward Caruana Dingli continued painting until his death in 1950.

His subjects and technique

Primarily a portrait painter in oils, his sitters included some of the most prominent figures of Maltese society, as well as nobility, politicians, clerics and prelates. They were portrayed wearing their most lavish clothing, jewellery and badges of office. Caruana Dingli had the superb ability to capture his sitter’s personality and to immortalise it on canvas. His portraits are both captivating and engaging. His male figures exalt pride, power and earnestness, while his female portraits depict sensuality, elegance and sophistication.

In contrast, his folkloristic themes, mainly in watercolour, celebrate the spirit of the Maltese countryside, its coast and village squares. His numerous street scenes include farmers returning with their flocks, hawkers at markets and children playing traditional street games. Whatever the subject, his paintings are characterised by a prominent verve and charm, accentuated through his unpolished brushwork of rich brilliant colour.

The Exhibition
‘Edward Caruana Dingli – Portraits, Views and Folkloristic Scenes’

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti is giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy 250 of his most remarkable works, brought together from collections around Europe. Patrimonju is resuming its prestigious exhibitions after several years working on the restoration of Palazzo Falson, which is now open as a Historic House Museum in Mdina. The palazzo holds frequent art, culture and heritage talks and events like these. So do check its calender.

Opening Times
The exhibition is open daily from the 8 May – 6 June, 10.00-17.00hrs, at the Palace in Valletta. An exhibition catalogue will accompany the event. For more information, visit patrimonju.org.

I have two types of Valletta walks.

The first is the Saturday stroll with the bustling crowds and my seven year-old, where at some stage there is a planned pit-stop of a cappuccino for me and a cassatella for him. The second is an evening passeggiata, when the streets are empty and almost silent except for the clickety clack of a heel, where the orange lights play tricks with shadows of our linked arms. And always, at some stage, there is a voice inside that says ‘Look up.’

It’s so easy to go rushing about our lives without noticing what is happening around us. In Valletta, much of the beauty of the old city is above our head. Look up, for there is much to feast the eyes on – whether you’re squinting in the sun, or trying to make out a detail in the half dark.

You will see…

Old balconies
Dolce-vita style signage
Pigeons
An old lady peering from behind a lace curtain
Bold stone sculptures
Caper plants on the bastions
Washing on lines
Wicker bread baskets dangling on strings
Gargoyles
‘Tourists are welcome’ signs
Derelict, abandoned upper storeys
Stepped streets looming ahead vertically
Bird cages in balcony windows

What else have I missed?

I’d been meaning to go to a concert at St. Catherine of Italy Church for a while.   I was coerced today by my seven year-old, who’d been to a concert a couple of Sundays ago and loved it.

You have to visit a church like St Catherine’s to get a sense of Valletta’s baroque splendour.  Even among the scaffolding of a full-scale restoration project, there is much to feast your eyes on:  the elegant semi-circular windows, the  portico and the dome characteristic of the Italian architect Romano Carapecchia, responsible for the reconstruction of the church in 1713-14.

Cappella Sanctae Catherinae, Malta’s first all-male voice choir, chose their name because two of their number, Fabio Billi and Giuseppe Agulli, are actually restorers at the church.  For their first outing, coinciding with Malta’s Republic Day, the nine-men choir chose pieces from Palestrina and Asola. There’s something quite magical about the timbre of the male voice singing cappella music in the intimate space of St Catherine’s. There were moments, during the concert, when you could close your eyes and easily lose yourself in the intricate mesh of altos, tenors, baritones and basses.

If you want to have a taste of what Cappella Sanctae Catherinae sound like, see below. This is definitely a choir to watch out for, irrespective of whether you’re a lover of classical music or are just interested in exploring new genres of music. The lunchtime concerts at St Catherine’s continue to offer much to savour. By paying your €5 donation, you’ll be supporting the arts in all senses – those who volunteer the music, and the restoration of St Catherine’s. Fabio, Giuseppe and their colleagues have another solid year of painstaking restoration to go. After which, you’ll be able to feast your eyes upwards to what is apparently a unique style of cupola fresco by Mattia Preti and school.

Cappella Sanctae Catherinae from Malta Inside Out on Vimeo.

We often hear the analogy that Malta is a city surrounded by water. And it’s true, our environment is increasingly urban, high rise and densely populated. But a city is more than this stereotype. One man who has spent more time than most in analysing the meaning and metaphor of the ‘city’ is Norbert Bugeja, one of Malta’s leading, young, contemporary poets. We’ll get a chance to see him perform his poetry at the launch of his new anthology ‘Bliet’ (Cities) at 8pm, Friday, 11 December, in the Music Room at St James Cavalier Center for Creativity, Valletta.

Bugeja’s new work is being considered a major contribution to contemporary literature in Maltese. His performance will be accompanied by leading percussionist Renzo Spiteri and acclaimed actor/performer Nicole Bugeja. At the launch, Norbert will perform some of his most popular poems. You’re advised to book early as the event is expected to attract a good audience.

The poems in ‘Bliet’ capture the ‘here and now’ of urban living in cities and towns in and around the Mediterranean as well as in Malta. Bugeja’s poetry carries with it the fascination with journeying, hot on the trail of those unusual stories hidden behind the thick walls, backstreets, squares and narrow pathways where this country and her shadow-cities carry on with their everyday chores.

‘Bliet’ is a relentless autopsy of every nook and cranny we live in and Bugeja leaves no stone unturned. It’s a story in image, rhythm and metaphor; the exhilarating diary of an urban soul that will take you around the steps, ruins, lanes, shopping malls, arenas and rivers that shape the city’s body. From Valletta to Cordoba, from Rome to Seville and Tangiers, from the Birgu’s to the Diju Balli’s of the mind’s eye, ‘Bliet’ is a masterful portrait of our cities’ explosive interiors.

Fellow poet, and critic, Maria Grech Ganado has this to say of Bugeja’s work: “Norbert’s poems remind me of sculpture, with the wind as sculptor. His metaphors are among the strongest I have ever read, his rhythms trance-like. His cities are hewn out of rock but just as simultaneously out of sand. Reading him is like finding a treasure, a rewarding and, to me, a unique experience.’ ‘Bliet’ comes too with an introduction by Dr Adrian Grima, a foremost Maltese literary critic and poet in his own right.

Biog: Norbert Bugeja is a leading writer within the new movement of Maltese literature. His poetry has been published in international poetry journals and read during various poetry festivals. In 2005, he published his first collection of verse, ‘Stay, Fairy Tale, Stay! Memoirs of a City Cast Adrift’ (Midsea Books/Inizjamed, 2005). Norbert Bugeja was awarded his BA (Hons) and MA in English from the University of Malta. As a Commonwealth Doctoral Scholar, he is currently concluding his doctoral thesis and lecturing at the University of Warwick in the UK.

‘Bliet’ is now on sale and is available at major booksellers in Malta and Gozo.

The Event – launch of ‘Bliet’: Norbert Bugeja’s new anthology
When: Friday, 11 December 2009, 8pm.
Where: The Music Room, St James Cavalier, Valletta

Valletta may be more well known for its history and cultural past than its cultural present. But it’s been doing very well of late in living up to its name as it plays host to all sorts of literary, musical, artistic, festive, theatrical and gastronomic events, month in month out.

This weekend sees another art and wine special at the National Museum of Fine Arts, South Street, with a programme throughout 28 & 29 November. The event is aimed at giving us ‘ a passport to enter a world of colours, visit amazing places and meet interesting people…’.

So, it’s a bit of a medley really, but sounds worth investigating, especially if you’ve kids in tow, or are at a loose end – Sunday afternoon, characters in historical costume will be walking the museum’s corridors! And adults might like the ‘Art & Wine @ South Street’ on Saturday evening – another in what’s become a series of such evenings. This time, Maltese contemporary artist Caesar Attard is discussing his works.

Midsea Books, which is co-hosting the event along with Heritage Malta, has a range of their Melintensia books on sale, to complement the talks, presentations, exhibits, and films.

Other highlights:
Saturday at 11.00 hrs, art historian Lino Borg will discuss printing techniques; and there will be what are described as ‘historic films’ screened in the afternoon.
Sunday morning sees a special presentation of Midsea Book’s publication of The Year Baroque Painting in Malta, delivered by its author Keith Sciberras PhD. Sunday afternoon, graphic artist Mark Scicluna, designer of a set of five bookmarks featuring artists represented in the National Collection, will be around.
Fun & Fact:
There are story-telling sessions at times throughout the weekend, as well as special tours for those who may not have ventured into the world of art before. The event also includes music, book prizes and a quiz desk.

Admission:
Entrance to the museum will be free on Saturday and Sunday but donations are welcomed. Further information from Heritage Malta.