The Belgrade Jazz Festival

The 24th Belgrade Jazz Festival will be held between October 24th and 27th under the slogan “Jazz emotions”. The festival will be opened by RTS “Big Band” with an American guest trumpeter Jon Faddis performing Dizzy Gillespie’s compositions. Among numerous guests there will also perform the famous American singer and pianist Patricia Barber and new hope of the world jazz scene, the trumpeter Christian Scott.

Scott and his quintet will perform on the first festival day at “Dom sindikata” after the “Big Band” and Jon Faddis quartet. On the following day the young Italian sax player Stefano Di Battista will play at “Kolarac Foundation”, while the performance of Marcos Valle, the Brazilian composer, will follow. This will be the first performance of the Brazilian group in Belgrade with bossa nova repertoire.

On Sunday, October 26, Patricia Barber, the biggest star of the Festival, will perform Cole Porter’s songs, which are also included in her new album. Israeli pianist Yaron Herman will perform his innovations in the main program of the Festival, and among his interesting arrangements, there are pop songs, such as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit“. The last Festival day, September 27, will be dedicated to guitar music. Bireli Lagrene will be the first to perform, and for the end the Lebanese guitarist Rabih Abou Khalil will present his interesting interpretation of Mediterranean music heritage. Apart from the main program, midnight concerts will take place every evening at “Dom omladine” and the guest performers will be Dana Leong, “Zuco“, Rambo Amadeus and Wendy Lewis.

The Belgrade Jazz Festival’s program:

Friday 24 Oct 2008 at 7.30 pm • Dom Sindikata Hall - Trumpet Summit

• Christian Scott Quintet (USA) - Twenty-three year old Christian Scott already has three albums, one Grammy nomination, guest performance on Prince’s album, performance on national hymn at the opening of NBA All Star weekend and a role in Hollywood . He finds inspiration in Miles Davis’ ideas: aware that he will get the place in history only if he is ready to experiment. Scott successfully combines jazz, fusion, funk, rhythm and blues, neo soul and hip-hop in order to create an authentic music without style limitations.

• Milk and Jade by Dana Leong (USA) - Cellist, trombonist and composer Dana Leong blends together hip-hop, jazz, electronic, funk and rock’n’roll creating modern matrix to represents in the best way jazz in 21st century. He gained the experience playing in the bands of great jazz and rock stars (Paquito D’Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, Ray Charles, Kanye West…). This artist Japanese-Chinese origin has become jazz ambassador, succeeding the series of promoters of “ America ’s only authentic musical form” such as Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong. Venue: Dom Omladine Hall from 11.00 pm

Saturday 25 Oct 2008 at 8.00 pm • Kolarac Hall - Jazz Emotions

• Stefano Di Battista Quartet (ITA/FRA/USA) - Di Battista is the leading name of European jazz. Young Italian alt saxophonist started on the scenes of Paris , where he was observed by the producers of Blue Note’s local branch. Exquisite improviser of warm and romantic tone, Di Battista is enraptured by simple solutions and old jazz cannons of bebop’s heritage of Charlie Parker. With the voluptuous sound of Hammond B3 organ in the back and hot rhythm’n’blues groove he plays in the new quartet with second best Italian jazz soloist Fabricio Boss.

• Marcos Valle feat. Wanda Sa (BRA) - One of the most eminent authors of the “second generation” of bossa nova creators, singer, composer and producer Marcos Valle starts world tour with selection of the best musicians from Rio de Janeiro , lead by vocal soloist Wanda Sa, celebrating half of the century of bossa nova’s existence. Place where the warm Brazilian music and cool jazz, tropical rhythms and urban inspirations from American cities come across – romantic emotions without pathetic, dashing and honest.

Sunday 26 Oct 2008 at 8.00 pm • Kolarac Hall - Piano Night

• Patricia Barber Quartet (USA) - Black and white keys on the piano under the fingers of Patricia Barber in a best way combine overall American popular music. She equally swims in the waters of jazz, blues, soul and rock as well as in the classical music matrixes with unusual harmonic and melodic solutions and very specific poetics. Patricia Barber is a renowned pianist and even better singer, whose performance deeply and irreparably plunges into listener’s soul. Current album gives a new reading of Cole Porter’s legendary opus.

• Yaron Herman Trio (ISR) - With only 27 years, Israel pianist Yaron Herman leads the youngest generation of European jazz musicians. Using special methodology based on philosophy, mathematics and psychology, finished studies on Berkley and inspiration coming from the works of Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau, composers Scriabin and Ravel, and rockers Sting and Bjork, Herman has became during past three years one of the most wanted European jazz musicians. The critics usually compare him with Keith Jarrett.

• Rambo Amadeus (SRB) - Rambo Amadeus was born in Kotor (SFRY). He recorded numerous albums in collaboration with many jazz musicians of his generation, including his latest album “Hipišizik Metafizik” (by PGP RTS). He lives, works, experiments and philosophizes in Belgrade . Concert at 24th Belgrade jazz festival is his first performance at this manifestation and new opportunity to find himself in company of jazz musicians and its audience. Venue: Dom Omladine Hall from 11.00 pm

Monday 27 Oct 2008 at 8.00 pm • Dom Sindikata Hall - String Heroes

• Bireli Lagrene Gipsy Project (USA) - According to many, the only legitimate heir of Djang Reinhart, virtuous French guitar player Biréli Lagrène recorder his first album in the age of 13 and when barely 18 he played at Jac Pastorius; he played a role of Eric Clapton in one reincarnation of The Cream, and he recorder numerous extraordinary albums from the mid ‘80s until today Gypsy Project is a dedication to two great role models - Djang Reinhardt and Stephane Grappellij.

• The Bad Plus feat. Wendy Lewis (USA) - Nirvana, Ornette Coleman, Pink Floyd, Blondie, David Bowie, Neil Young, ABBA, U2, Tears for Fears, Pixies, Queen, Radiohead, Burt Bacharach, Black Sabbath or The Bee Gees are representing initiating inspiration for imaginative jazz treatment by trio The Bad Plus, along with rich original signature of their own. They cooperated with singer Wendy Lewis on their first album “For All I Care”. On the contrary, it puts music in even more avant-garde punk-jazz equal, instead of making it closer to rock originals. Venue: Dom Omladine Hall from 11.00 pm
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