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performances in 14 different towns including concerts at eight major festivals such as the Nonsole Jazz Festival in Trento and the Locomotive Jazz Festival in Lecce.
The tour will take the band to towns and cities across Italy including Genoa, Florence, Arezzo, Rome, Sicily and Pisa.
The Colour Blu is also expected to collaborate with top Italian artists Paolo Frezu (leading Italian jazz trumpeter), Max De Aloe (harmonica), Gino Paoli (composer and musician), Paolo Conte (jazz composer and musician) and top saxophone player Rafael Casarano.
Max De Aloe has been to Zimbabwe and performed at the Italian Embassy organised October International Jazz Festival in 2010 and Rafael Casarano, who runs a festival in Italy also performed at the Harare International Festival of the Arts this year.
The tour was made possible by the support of the Italian Embassy, Ethiopian Airways and the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.
“It is such a humbling experience to meet other artistes for the first time and they believe in you and are willing to go all out to put you on the international map.
“That is what every artiste hopes for and make a major international breakthrough. It is quite exciting to be performing in Italy.
“I am physically and emotionally ready for the experience. It is an opportunity to grow and see how far I can stretch myself artistically when we perform collaborations with international jazz artistes,” an elated Dudu said in an interview last week.
She said she hopes to enroll at one of the Italian universities during the tour.
This will see her going back for training that involves sharing of experiences, music classes, as well as work on a project that involves music composition and recording with an Italian artiste.
Dudu Manhenga and Colour Blu will also launch their fourth album titled “Ngangiwe” during the tour.
Online Reporter