Where Magic Happens

By Michael Hogan

As folk-rock star Jack Savoretti prepares to headline Cheltenham Jazz Festival, he tells Michael Hogan why he’s so excited, and super grateful for his extraordinary career and life so far.

His headline slot at Cheltenham Jazz Festival is a dream gig for Jack Savoretti in two ways. First up, he’s an avowed fan of jazz festivals worldwide.
‘I love their sense of occasion,’ he grins. ‘They tend to be more musically eclectic than just pure jazz. I grew up in Switzerland and saw BB King, Paul Simon, Buena Vista Social Club and Bob Dylan – all at Swiss jazz festivals in quaint parks, by lakes or in amazing outdoor amphitheatres. That’s my ideal kind of festival. Cheltenham always has an awesome lineup and the town itself is beautiful. It’s a more mature music crowd, rather than a trend-led one. Audiences come to listen, not just see. People dress up and it’s got a certain sophistication. I’m really looking forward to it.’

Secondly, it’s surprisingly convenient. ‘I live 45 minutes away, near Chipping Norton, so it’s kind of my local festival,’ he explains. ‘I’m hoping to see lots of friendly, familiar faces in the crowd.’ The 40-year-old, his actress wife Jemma [Powell], their three children and four dogs (‘It’s nice and relaxing,’ he jokes) relocated from London eight years ago. ‘Whenever we were touring the UK, I’d get off the bus and be like “Where are we? This is nice”. It always turned out to be the Cotswolds. This part of the country had me. Moving here was the best choice we ever made.’

When Savoretti burst onto the music scene in the noughties, enthusiastically championed by Radio 2, he was a self-styled “troubadour” – just one man with a guitar and a clutch of folk-tinged love songs. ‘I was educated on the 1960s Californian sound. Those Laurel Canyon greats like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell – they were my heroes.’

As his sound has developed through seven studio albums, Savoretti has increasingly embraced his ancestry. ‘Partly due to having my own children, I’ve gone back to my roots,’ he says. ‘I was born in England to an Italian father and a half-German, half-Polish mother. The DNA running through my veins is a proper Euro-clash. My music is where those European roots and my American influences collide.’

Nowadays Savoretti not only has a tight-knit band (‘I’ve discovered the beauty of working with fellow musicians. My boys are incredible’) but also a new-found love of performance. ‘I love the French word “chantateur”. It means singer-songwriter but also a storyteller. From Jacques Brel to
Julio Iglesias, even Leonard Cohen and Michael McDonald – these guys paid attention to their delivery and told stories through lyrics. After more than a decade with my guitar, it was liberating to put it down and sing without it.’

“My music is where my European roots and American influences collide.”

It all makes his Cheltenham set eagerly anticipated. What can he tease us with? ‘We’ll be revisiting all the albums, picking songs where we can create a real moment. There will be a mixture of favourites and the unexpected,’ he shares. And on his backstage rider? ‘Lots of chocolate and
good Italian or French wine. It used to be whisky, vodka and gin but we’re not that exciting anymore. Nowadays, we’re wine snobs.’

Ask Savoretti for his career highlights to date and he’s torn. ‘One was being invited to play at La Fenice in Venice,’ he says proudly. ‘It’s right up there with La Scala [in Milan] as the most beautiful opera house in the world. That was a real honour. I brought Kylie Minogue and Imelda May with me. There’s a photo of the three of us on-stage and I’ve got the happiest face you’ll ever see me pull.’

It’s rivalled only by notching up his first chart-topping album five years ago. ‘I’ve never done this for chart success but when Singing To Strangers got to number one, I was blindsided by how much it meant to me. I was on a plane from Milan to London when I found out. I was wearing headphones and at that moment, Van Morrison’s Bright Side of the Road came on. It was like a bad Disney movie, but I just started crying. This lovely woman next to me handed me a tissue and asked if I was alright!’

Both high points involve Ms Minogue, who co-wrote a duet on Singing To Strangers. What’s it like working with Kylie? ‘I was overwhelmed by her artistry. I think Kylie is the Edith Piaf of our time. There’s a lot of depth, glamour, tragedy and strength there. She’s a warrior. A survivor. She’s also truly impressive in the studio. I took her an idea for a song [Music’s Too Sad Without You] and she ran with it, completely freestyling the middle eight section. She not only knew how to build a song, but she did it with such ease and class.’

“I think Kylie is the Edith Piaf of our time. She’s a warrior and a survivor.”

His most recent duet partner was Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins on War Child charity single What the World Needs Now Is Love. ‘She was amazing too. When two people take each other out of their respective comfort zones, you meet in a place where neither of you has been before. That’s where magic happens. There’s a difference between a good singer and Katherine Jenkins. It’s like the difference between going for a jog with your mate and running against Usain Bolt.

Being in a room with somebody who sings like that is very special. And Katherine only needed to do two takes. It was absolutely insane.’ In an ideal world, who would be Savoretti’s next collaborator? ‘I love working with female artists who take you into a whole different dimension. Florence
Welch from Florence & The Machine is the greatest around right now. I’d love the experience of just watching her work, let alone collaborating.’

After years of moving in rock and pop circles, Savoretti never gets starstruck. It’s only sportspeople who make him tongue-tied. ‘When I meet a footballer, I turn into a 10-year-old boy,’ he laughs. ‘Although I got it a bit recently with journalist John Simpson. I was in a hotel and saw him sitting by himself having a cocktail. I was like, “Mr Simpson, I don’t want to disturb you, but I just want to say I’ve followed your incredible reporting for years, so thank you.”

He was so sweet and invited me to sit down. We ended up having a half-hour chat about current affairs and exchanging contact details. I’ve still got his number scribbled down on a hotel napkin somewhere.’ It’s astonishing when you consider that, 15 years ago, Savoretti came very close to giving it all up and ‘getting a proper job’. After legal disputes and record company troubles left him at a low ebb, he came close to quitting music altogether. Instead, he channelled his anger into writing the most personal music he’d ever made. That album, 2011’s critically acclaimed Before the Storm, saw Savoretti turn a corner. ‘I never worked out what that proper job would be, which is why I ended up sticking with music,’ he laughs.

Last autumn, he celebrated his 40th birthday in style. ‘I went big,’ he smiles. ‘I basically took over [Italian Riviera resort] Portofino, a place from my upbringing which remains very close to my heart. Lots of my lifelong friends work in restaurants and shops there. Even the mayor is a childhood friend, so they opened all the doors of Portofino for me. My family came out. Some 100 friends arrived from all over the world. It was pretty epic and felt like the end of a movie.’

His connections to the area run deep.’ Roughly 20 miles away in Genoa, his grandfather has a street named after him. ‘It’s called Via Giovanni Lanza, which was his battle name. There’s also a monument to him. He was the head of the partisans who liberated the region from fascism in the Second World War. It’s a huge source of family pride. I’m his namesake, Giovanni Savoretti, although everyone has always called me Jack.’

Next up for Giovanni Savoretti Jr is a duet with Italian icon Zucchero. ‘It’s the 30th anniversary of his hit Senza una Donna. It was my mum’s favourite song and we used to listen to it all the time on the school run. He asked me to re-record it with him, which was the coolest thing ever. My Italian album, Miss Italia, comes out in April. I’ve also been writing my next English album.’

He might be riding high, but Savoretti stresses the need to give something back. ‘If there’s ever an opportunity to share the ridiculous amount of good fortune that I have, why not? It’s important, regardless of how successful you are. In fact, some of the most generous people I know aren’t successful at all. Anyone can change the world in the smallest ways.’

Join us at Cheltenham Jazz Festival

Book now for the jazz event of year! Jazz musicians from across the world have graced the stages of Cheltenham Jazz Festival, which has, over the years, hosted acts ranging from Randy Crawford to Jamie Cullum, Eartha Kitt to Corinne Bailey Rae.

This year is no different. Courtney Pine and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Dee Dee Bridgewater are heading to Cheltenham, Dionne Warwick is in the Big Top – as is The Brand New Heavies, whose set includes musicians from the London Concert Orchestra. It’s a May Bank Holiday Weekend bonanza! Attivo were delighted to sponsor jazz superstar Gregory Porter’s event in 2023). This year, Attivo is a Major Partner of the Festival and as such, will be hosting a private lunch event with Jack Savoretti on Thursday, 2 May.

Join us

Cheltenham Jazz Festival takes place in the Gloucestershire town’s Montpellier Gardens from 1-6 May. Tickets are on sale now. Visit: Cheltenhamfestivals.com/Jazz. Cheltenham Jazz Festival is part of Cheltenham Festivals, the charity that each year hosts Science, Literature, Jazz and Music Festivals in the Regency town.

If you’d like to explore your options for financial planning, why not talk to Attivo? Our team of Chartered Financial Planners happy to help to make the process a smooth one. Call us on 01242 585444 or Clientservices@Attivo.co.uk.