32nd Skopje Jazz Festival kicks off

The 32nd Skopje Jazz Festival kicks off on Thursday evening with performances by the British-Slovenian duo Evan Parker and Zlatko Kaucic and the UK band 'Get The Blessing".

The festival, which runs till Oct. 21, offers current and renowned acts from the global jazz scene, its director Oliver Belopeta told a press conference on Tuesday.

The opening day is dedicated to British jazz as a way to mark 20 years of friendship between Macedonia and the UK. One of the most prominent jazz musicians in the world, saxophonist Evan Parker will perform in Macedonia for the first time together with Slovenian improviser Zlatko Kaucic. The second act of the evening is Get The Blessing, lauded as one of UK's best live bands.

Sidsel Endresen and Stian Westerhus from Norway and The Abercrombie Quartet from the United States are slated to perform on Friday.

The Balkan premiere of the project "Balkan Fever", presenting Vlatko Stefanovski, Miroslav Tadic and Theodosii Spassov at a concert together with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, will take place on Saturday.

Jazz icon Roscoe Mitchell and his trio and legendary jazz singer Cassandra Wilson with Harriet Tubman music collective are scheduled to perform on Sunday.

The festival's final day is reserved for the Paris-based Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and one of the jazz’s greatest bass players Dave Holland.

SKOPJE JAZZ FESTIVAL KICKS OFF

The 28th edition of the Skopje Jazz Festival opens Thursday with the live promotion of the project “Hammam” of the Macedonian-Italian trio Skopje Connection in the Army’s Club. This year, the Festival’s events will take place at four different venues – the Army’s Club, Universal Hall, Macedonian Opera and Ballet House and Hard Rock Club.
The musicians comprising Skopje Connection tri are Dzijan Emin, Georgi Sareski and Luca Aquino. The promotion of their project “Hammam” will be followed by another promotion – the latest edition of the Skopje Jazz Festival label entitled “Jazz from Macedonia”, intended above all for the music markets abroad. The programme of the following night – 23 October, is dubbed “Women in Jazz”. German.
Piano player Aki Takase will play pieces of the jazz piano legend Fats Waller, before Marilyn Mazur Group takes the stage at the Universal Hall. On 24th October, also in Universal Hall, Brad Mehldau Trio and James Carter Quintet will give their performances.
The night before the last is dedicated to marking of the 40th birthday of the cult jazz label ECM with two special concerts of the truly original Norwegian duo Arve Henriksen & Jan Bang, and of the jazz innovator Jon Hassels wit his project Maarifa Street.
The Festival will wrap up with the real treat for all jazz lovers – the super group Power of Three, whose members are jazz legends in the literal sense of the word - Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. In addition to the regular programme, Skopje Jazz Festival offers also some exciting afterhours concerts of contemporary jazz artists: the rising US singing star Jose James, the quartet of the Italian saxophone player Chico Pinheiro and his “Banda” and the Italian saxophone player Michele Ponga.
Macedonian designer Neda Firfova is the author of this year’s poster for the Jazz Festival.