The twentieth “Kragujevac International Jazz Festival” (IJFK ) takes place from October 24 to October 26, and on the occasion of the grand jubilee, the organizers are preparing a special edition of the festival.
If, by any chance, a list of the names of contemporary European jazz, selected for its musical attractiveness and genius, were to be compiled, it would certainly include the names of performers at this year’s International Kragujevac International Jazz Festival. During the three days of the Festival, some of the most current musicians of the European jazz scene, both critics and audiences, will perform on the Grand Stage of the Knjazevsko-Serbian Theater. The Grand Jubilee will mark, first of all, two big orchestras, two big bands. The festival will be opened by the Big Band RTS, one of the oldest European orchestras of this type, with a tradition of 70 years. The real exclusivity of the festival is the performance of the JazzRausch Bigband from Munich, which is coming to Serbia for the first time and is playing at the closing.
The JazzRausch Bigband Munich is a worldwide music sensation and concert attraction, with over 120 concerts a year around the world. It is a big band that combines its jazz sound with techno and chaos music and is the first big band in the world to become a resident of a techno club, not by anyone, but by the club “The Harry Klein”, one of the most famous in Europe.
Along with a very striking appearance and stage performance, the band is primarily a highly skilled artist, which is why the criticism itself calls it a phenomenon that erases all genre boundaries and offers the audience a top-notch musical experience, whether they play at the Lincoln Center, the Munich Philharmonic or the Square in Moscow. The Austrian The Golden Fang trio combined with bass, saxophone and drums has been specially formed for this occasion by musicians from the Shake Stew band and according to its members are preparing to offer the audience a unique combination of pure musicality! Turkey’s duo Kaan and Jan, piano and double bass, present the Timeless Project. It’s one of the most popular jazz albums in Europe, which critics say shines like Aladdin’s magic lamp among so many other jazz albums. From Italy comes the band Yellow Squeeds, led by the always different Francesco Diodati. Rarely does a band gather such sought-after, exceptional soloists and improvisers who in turn like to play together and who put the “band concept” in front of everything in their performance. The result is mesmerizing sound images and ingenious compositions. Ukrainian, and Serbian saxophonist, extraterrestrial musician Max Kochetov performs with his Max Kochet Quartet, while the local band Thrillseeking Polymers will show why, in the opinion of jazz connoisseurs, he has a high place in the future of the domestic jazz scene.
This two decades long tradition is a great jubilee of quiet persistence, perseverance and love for jazz, which the festival organizers, ReCreative Dud, and their associates show year after year, bringing to the heart of Šumadija the great world musical names. Without excessive pomp and support, with great results. If according to modern tendencies the results are measured solely by figures then the following should be emphasized: In 20 years, over 120 concerts have been performed at the International Jazz Festival in Kragujevac (IJFK) and more than 400 performers from 40 countries around the world have performed. Among them were big, world-renowned names such as Chris Jarrett, Vinny Golia, Joachim Schoenecker, David Helbock, Ilhan Ersahini, Remi Panossian, Lukacs Miklosch and many others. Some, such as Anita Vardel and Tim Garland, performed at the IJFK for the first and only time in Serbia. When it comes to the audience, it should be noted that over the past 20 years, the Festival has educated and nurtured generations of new jazz fans while providing the opportunity for many already established local jazz musicians to come out to the audience for the first time under its wing.
MAIN PROGRAM:
24.10. Thursday
Big Bend RTS, Serbia
The Golden Fang trio, Austria
25.10. Friday
Kagan Yildiz & Can Cankaya -TIMELESS PROJECT,Turska
Yellow Squeeds, Italija
Max Kochetov Quartet, Srbija
26.10. subota
Jazzrausch Big Band Munich, Nemačka
Thrillseeking Polymers, Srbija