|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| International jazz festival ’Odessa Jazz Carnival - 2006’ The sixth international jazz festival is going to take place in Odessa during 15 – 17 September, 2006. For the sixth time Odessa, famous for being a pearl in the Black Sea coast of Ukraine, will become a hostess of the recognized fest "Jazz Carnival in Odessa" . Originated in 2001 in the motherland of the first soviet jazzman Leonid Utyosov, this festival is held every autumn in the height of the "velvet season". This is the loveliest time when the sun doesn't burn with its might and main, the sea is still warm and inviting and Odessa keeps on living in a habitual summer manner accompanied by carnival motley. The background for such diversity of colors comes from the primeval mixture of cultures and traditions, rhythms and styles, sea breeze and dry breath of the steps stretching along the Black Sea coast. The "carnival" concept of this jazz festival is by no means random: musicians from different countries who play absolutely different jazz are invited to come here, to Odessa. It is a festival of discoveries – everyone will certainly find here something peculiar and dear to one's own soul. Great Ella Fitzgerald would like to repeat: "Jazz is a black business". Indeed, the black have thought out jazz, and still jazz is a common property. A legendary soviet jazzman Leonid Utyosov had once made a remark: "Odessa is the motherland of jazz!" and he did have reasons to make such a declaration. Atmosphere of humor, festival and freedom brings this city together with jazz. Thanks to Utyosov and his famous "Teo-jazz", Odessa was regarded as unofficial capital of jazz in the USSR. "We are not going to let jazz die in its motherland!" This statement was made by originator of Jazz festival, its general producer Mikhail Freydlin together with the festival art-director Yuriy Kuznetsov, at the down of this new millennium. Inspired by a common idea, M. Freydlin and Y. Kuznetsov, a jazz pianist with a world-known name, have made up their minds to turn Odessa into a jazz Mecca and put this burden on their shoulders. Due to them, today "Jazz Carnival in Odessa" is a tradition. Famous Odessa philharmonic concert hall, a unique monument of architecture has become a traditional stage for Festival performances. Representatives of the three different musical projects, different jazz trends and different cultures will turn up on this stage every evening. The audience will enjoy a multicolored picture with the national and ethnic jazz variations to be painted by the participants of the forthcoming festival. A joint project presented by the French saxophonist Francois Jeanneau and German pianist Uli Lenz, "BuJazzO" - federal youth big-band from Germany, an international Frank Lacy & Arkadiy Ovrutskiy Funky Band / feat. Kim Plainfield (USA), a quartet of the German instrumentalists and vocalists "Venusbrass", a trio headed by the Turkish pianist Ayse Tutuncu, the "Open Quartet" introduced by Giovanni Falzone from Italy, the Balkan Band led by Nenad Vasilic and multicultural project "mWWm" from Holland – this is going to be a real carnival of the jazz colors and shades. In addition, something delicious can be found in the menu of the festival…True gourmets will have a chance to try a specialty brought from Norway – it is a solo project cooked by a vocalist Eldbjorg Raknes, who frequents leading avant jazz festivals. It is expected that with her Scandinavian spirit she will somehow cool this southern festive atmosphere down. Every day when "official" concerts to be performed at the stage of the Philharmonic concert hall are over, the fest will naturally flow down the sea for night jam sessions. "Jazz Carnival in Odessa" does not necessarily mean that the festival concerts will only have to give impression of almost all the aspects of the jazz arts. The program will also comprise some street performances and entertainments, very uncommon and peculiar to Odessa, and backed up by the jazz bands. These projects have become an unofficial visiting card of the city and thus highlighted its friendly atmosphere, so typical for Odessa and unusual for other places. It was just during the Jazz festival when a "Jazz-carrier", an ancient tour tram with the open top and Dixieland aboard, appeared in the streets of the city for the first time. One can see this new born city legend now sliding along the tram routes of Odessa during Festival. Fusion of generations and musical tastes residing in grand-parents, parents, children and grand-children may occur during the "DJ-Band" action, a special program called "Future sounds of Jazz". This musical marathon is arranged for D-Js who "practice magic" for making jazz standards. Street concerts will take place near the monuments to Leonid Utyosov and Duke de Richelieau. A large-scale "Dixie-jazz" will make its start in the core of Odessa, in Deribasovskaya Street, to be followed by a Dixieland parade in the down town – area that has some jazz in its blood and therefore makes every smallest street and every house move in tact to jazz music. One more "know-how" of Festival is "Jazz regatta", a fascinating competition for sailing yachts, will be arranged in the harbor area of Odessa bay and accompanied by the jazz bands playing their music aboard the referee's boats. And in the end of the day, the Theatre Square in front of the famous monument of world importance – Odessa Opera and Ballet House – will become a place where Festival comes to its peak, its apotheosis – a four-hour gala concert in the open air. All previous festivals and the current one take place due to a tandem of its "cross fathers": an originator of Jazz Carnival idea, its general producer Mikhail Freydlin, and permanent art-director of the Festival, an Odessa musician bearing a world known name Yuriy Kuznetsov. President of the "Doors to Hollywood" company Bob Van Ronkel (USA) having once become a co-producer of the Festival keeps on cooperating with the Jazz Carnival for the third time. Like in previous years, a legendary Odessa writer-satirist Mikhail Zhvanetskiy, an honorable President of "Jazz Carnival in Odessa", a great improvisator in the prose genre, a connoisseur of jazz music, will be awarded a privilege to start an opening ceremony. From the stage, he will address his greeting, always implicit and witty, to Carnival and thus make the beginning of the next festival of improvisation. Vladimir Kaushanskiy, a musical critic, an Honored member of the All-Russian musical society, a musical reporter to "America Illustrated" magazine, was invited to present Jazz Carnival concerts. List of participants of the 6th International jazz festival "Jazz Carnival in Odessa": • "mWWm": Mark Weird World Music (Senegal – Netherlands), Ayse Tutuncu Trio (Turkey), Francois Jeanneau & Uli Lenz (France – Germany), Federal youth jazz orchestra "BuJazzO" (Germany), Nenad Vasilic Band (Serbia), International Project (the USA-Russia, Edbjorg Raknes (Norway), Giovanni Falzone "Open Quartet" (Italy), "Venusbrass" (Germany). write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |