Text Elitsa Savova

Bansko may attract thousands of tourists in the winter with its well-groomed ski runs, but it has never been quite the in-place to visit in summer. That looks set to change because if one event shines like a pearl among the numerous construction sites, it’s the International Jazz Festival.
The festival, now running for 11 years, has turned into one of the most significant musical events for sophisticated jazz connoisseurs as well as the ordinary public. The festival will be held between August 8 and 13, this time on two stages. Organisers have tried hard to meet fans’ expectations and preserve the festival’s high standards and, once again, they have succeeded in attracting performers from some of the unlikeliest corners of the globe.
The first concert begins every day at 4pm, followed by performances into the evening. The opening looks set to be stunning, featuring Vassil Petrov and Meri Taneva singing with the Bulgarian National Radio’s Big Band, conducted by maestro Yanko Miladinov. Next up will be the German Swing Stars, the Macedonian Tavitjan Brothers and the Bulgarian Kameliya Todorova. Meanwhile, Bulgarian chill-out band Mind Trips will take to the second stage at 4pm.
On August 9 at 4pm there will be a performance at the Kempinski Grand Arena Hotel by a Japanese pianist and lead singer. Also at 4pm, on the festival’s second stage, pianist Gerd Baier and percussionist Philipp Gutbrod will perform. Bulgaria’s ‘indecipherable-language singer’ and wind instrument player Stoyan Royanov Ya-Ya will perform his inimitable show shortly afterwards.
A Serbian-Bulgarian-Polish-Israeli mixture will follow on the main stage. First on will be the Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra – a real cultural institution in Belgrade – followed by the band of Bulgarian actress-singer-TV host Nona Yotova and Poland’s high-class jazz pioneers, the Joachim Mencel Trio. The atmosphere becomes even more cosmopolitan when the Israeli Ethnic Ensemble takes to the stage, whose five members all come from different cultural and ethnical communities, combining Eastern European, Balkan and Gypsy musical traditions.
The evening of August 10 will begin with the German 8WD Eight Wheel Drive Blues Band. With the temperature already high, Freddy Cole, brother of Eddie Cole, Ike Cole and the unforgettable Nat King Cole – and a world-class pianist and performer himself – will play with his band. The evening’s world tour will then pass through Russia with the Denis Shulgin Violin Jazz Quartet and return to Bulgaria with Amalia and Dirty Purchase.
Another musical trip whirlwind tour will begin on August 11. We start in Bulgaria with Dilyana Georgieva (lead singer), Simeon Shterev (flute), Antoni Donchev (piano), Georgi Donchev (Bass) and Dimitar Semov (drums). Next stop is Japan with a performance from the Soon Kim Quartet. The trips then reaches the US and Germany with Side Steps, finishing in Belgium with Orchestre International du Vetex. The latter includes musicians from Belgium and Northern France, mixing punk, rock n roll and Balkan and Latino rhythms, among others.
Bansko Jazz Festival’s next evening, August 12, is dedicated to Europe. First up, the Austrians from Mary Poppins will perform their mixture of reggae, soul and jazz. Milcho Leviev, Vicky Almazidou and Georgios Kontrafouris will set a tone for the joint international performances, which will lead to the Dutch-Bulgarian joint venture, Tarhana, featuring Teodosii Spasov. Spaniards from Barcelona Zulu 9.30 will offer Bansko a mixture of energetic reggae, salsa and hip-hop.
The festival’s climax will be marked by Hilda Kazasyan (lead singer), Roumen Toskov (piano), Hristo Yotsov (percussion), Teodosii Spasov (kaval), Petar Slavchev (lead singer), Vesselin Vesselinov (contrabass) performing film music and Dutch singer Giovanca, who says she’s inspired by the sounds of the city. There will also be a mixture of oriental jazz, fusion and rock mixture from the Egyptian group Eftekasat and musical experiments from the Greek group Palyrria.
Bear in mind that you can combine the jazz-filled evenings with fresh air walks in the nearby slopes of Pirin Mountain or cross the valley and reach Rila Mountain or the Rhodope Mountain. Bansko also has numerous stands offering virtually everything during the festival. And, as an added bonus, because it takes place on the square, the festival is completely free!

Source: Month2Come