JazzFestBrno has published its complete programme. Kurt Elling, Simon Phillips, Donny McCaslin, and others will perform

1 February 2023, 13:00
JazzFestBrno has published its complete programme. Kurt Elling, Simon Phillips, Donny McCaslin, and others will perform

The programme of the 22nd JazzFestBrno is now complete. In addition to the previously announced personalities, more important names of the contemporary jazz scene have been added. These include, among others, singer Kurt Elling, drummer Simon Phillips, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, pianist Emmet Cohen, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, saxophonist Melissa Aldana, and the newly formed English-Czech trio Noble-Slavík-Clarvis to visit Brno. Also performing will be the Poogie Bell – Juraj Griglak Band, drummer Udi Shlomo, and bassist and vocalist Chris Morrissey. These artists join previously announced musicians Diana Krall, Kronos Quartet, Dave Holland, John Scofield, and Tigran Hamasyan. This year’s edition of the Brno JazzFest will offer 16 concerts during the main part of the festival over 13 nights.

“At the end of June, we will also organise the second edition of the Syncope Festival. This is our festival within a festival, where the most interesting projects from the Czech-Slovak jazz scene will take place on three stages at the Husa na provázku Theatre in one evening. This year, among others, the jubilant Peter Lipa, but also the Ochepovsky Project and Tomáš Sýkora Trio & Aid Kid will perform here,” adds Vilém Spilka, the festival’s artistic director. The festival will take place from 7 March to 19 May in Brno.

“The first five concerts we announced last autumn resonated strongly with our fans and now only the last tickets are left. For example, only standing room only tickets are available for the Diana Krall concert. We believe that the newly announced concerts will generate similar interest,” says Vlastimil Trllo, the festival’s executive director. This year, JazzFestBrno will visit the Bobycentrum (now Zoner BOBYHALL), Sono Centre, Cabaret des Péchés, Husa na provázku Theatre, and Divadlo na Orlí Theatre. After three covid-influenced editions, it returns to its proven format, with the main spring part complemented by several other events and concerts throughout the year. In addition to the aforementioned Festival of Syncopation, the festival will organise JazzFestBrno workshops for children, it will travel to other South Moravian cities as part of the JazzFestBrno on the Road series, and in autumn jazz fans can look forward to the traditional Echoes of JazzFestBrno, featuring the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Last year, the festival also launched the 32Bar Talk podcast, and for the third year it has also been active in the publishing field. “Our label, Bivak Records, has brought out five albums in the past two years and we are preparing at least two more this year. The first one will be the album of the Noble-Slavík-Clarvis trio, which the gentlemen will be launching at the festival concert in Cabaret des Péchés,” concludes Spilka.

Kurt Elling/ photo by Cory Dewald

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