Bansko Jazz Fever

SofiaEcho, 31 July 2007

This year’s Bansko Jazz Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary, bringing together jazz fans from all over Bulgaria on August 8 to 13.

Artists from 16 countries and three continents will participate in the grand celebrations.

The first day of the festival will see the performance of one of the most popular English jazz blues, Papa George. To open the festival, organisers have invited Bulgarian National Radio’s big band with soloist the prima of Dutch jazz, Denis Djana.

They will be followed by Bulgaria’s jazz legend Milcho Leviev who will perform together with the Greek singer Vikki Almazidi. The festival will continue with the American gospel, blues and jazz singer Janis Harrington.

During the remaining jazz days in Bansko, there is a stage show by Christoph Stenbach from Austria, flamenco band El Macareno from Spain, Czech guitar star Pavel Riba, gypsy jazz quartet Fancesco Buzzuro from Italy, as well as Polish trio Vlodek Pavlik. On July 13, the crowd will also see Hungarian band Jabe, followed by Switzerland’s Phoenix. Bulgaria’s contribution includes performances by Nona Yotova, Mihail Shishkov, Kalin Velyov, Mihail Yosifov, Vulchan Vulchanov, and Grammy award holder Teodosii Spasov.

The Egyptian band headed by percussionist Yahil Halil will again perform at the festival with a band of 15 members, including vocalist Mona Heier.

Among the most special guests is Janice Harrington from the US.

Closing the festival will be Nato’s big band, the Shape International Big Band.

With classic, blues, fusion, Latin, nu-jazz, gipsy jazz, R&B, soul, afro-beat performances, organisers aim to this the biggest music event of the year. Entrance is free and performances are in the open at Bansko’s central square.