Dhafer Youssef, Charles Lloyd, Lars Danielsson, Jakob Bro Trio, Dave Weckl / Tom Kennedy, Nils Petter Molvær, Liv Warfield, Robben Ford and Bill Evans present at the 24th edition!
Gărâna Jazz Festival invites music lovers at the annual jazz celebration between July 9th and 12th, in the Wolf’s Meadow of Gărâna. For us, the organizers of the festival, it is already a tradition to showcase on the Wolf’s Meadow stage the current-best international projects. We wish that each one of them becomes memorable, both for the return audience and the people visiting us for the very first time.
Here are the first artists invited at the 24th Edition of Gărâna Jazz Festival:
Dhafer Youssef Quartet – Sounds Of Mirrors, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Lars Danielsson – Liberetto III, Jakob Bro Trio, Trygve Seim Quartet, Dave Weckl / Tom Kennedy & Bob Franceschini & Stu Mindeman, Nils Petter Molvær Quartet, Liv Warfield Band, Yotam Silberstein Quartet, Yuval Ron Quartet and Robben Ford and Bill Evans: Blues, Miles & Beyond.
Tickets for each day and passes for the entire event can be purchased on www.bilete.ro, as well as in the Inmedio & RELAY stores, Germanos stores, the Romanian Post Officers, Vodafone Shops, and the Bucharest Promenada Mall. Information regarding the possibilities of transport, accommodation and a jazz vacation in Gărâna is available on www.garana-jazz.ro.
Dhafer Youssef will play for the first time at Gărâna Jazz Festival, on Thursday, July 9th. Master of the oud, owner of an incredibly expressive voice and creator of an intriguingly complex and unique universe, Dhafer Youssef is part of the global elite of jazz musicians. Tireless seeker of means of expression, the Tunisian artists has managed to integrate in his music oriental influences and harmonize them with jazz, world and electronic music. He has collaborates with other jazz stars, such as Nguyên Lê, Markus Stockhausen, Zakir Hussain, Dave Holland, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Paolo Fresu, Bugge Wesseltoft and Marilyn Mazur. At Gărâna, Dhafer Youssef will showcase his latest album, Sounds of Mirrors. His dream of exploring Indian music has been fulfilled in his collaboration with the acclaimed Zakir Hussain, to whom many of the album tracks are dedicated. At Gărâna Jazz Festival, he will be accompanies by artists from three corners of the world: his constant collaborator, Norwegian guitar player Eivind Aarset, Italian sax player Raffaele Casarano and Brazilian drummer Adriano Dos Santos.
Legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd returns to Gărâna Jazz Festival together with his quartet on Thursday, July 9th! In 2013, he celebrated through music, alongside us, his 75th birthday. Seven years have passed, and he has released another 5 albums and this time he will celebrate his 70th year in service to music. Along the last decades, he ticked the post-bop period, brought world music influences to jazz and enjoyed the psychedelic 60s with avant-garde improvisation. Lloyd is one of the first jazz artists to sell a million copies of a record (“Forest Flower“ – recording of this Monterey concert in 1966 with Keith Jarret, Jack DeJohnette and Cecil McBee) and later surprised everyone by withdrawing from the jazz scene, right at the moment when he became a jazz superstar. He has recorded over 10 albums with ECM Records, was awarded a PhD in music and countless international distinctions. However, what makes him a true jazz star is his warm and passionate music that always reaches the souls of his listeners.
Lars Danielsson completes Thursday’s star line-up, bringing to the Wolf’s Meadow one of his most valued and beloved projects – Liberetto III. For Lars Danielsson, cello and double bass virtuoso, the power of music is in the melody. It is the heart from which everything else evolves, and his Liberetto ensemble remained faithful to this principle. The word “Liberetto”, invented by Danielsson as a name for the group, serves and describes his art: the source of his compositions is western music but the improvisation follows the imperative of freedom and unfettered style. The other members of Liberetto III are Grégory Privat on piano, Krister Jonsson on guitar and Magnus Öström on drums and percussion.
Friday, July 10th, the festival will host another three concerts of extraordinary musicians. The trio of Danish guitarist and composer Jakob Bro has been, for the past few years, in the top of most appreciated contemporary jazz trios. The trio’s first album – Streams (2016, ECM) showcases the unmatched Thomas Morgan on double bass and the awe inspiring Joey Baron on drums. It was followed by the live album – Bay of Rainbows (2018, ECM), which proved the uniqueness of the trio – a perfect communication between musicians and raveningly beautiful compositions that lead to an atmosphere that touches the very soul of the audience.
A project worthy of all superlatives, Helsinki Songs, will be showcased on the festival stage by an old friend of the Gărâna audience – Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim. Themes and tributes dedicated to the great musicians that have inspired him (Ornette Coleman, Jimmy Webb) turn the structure of the album into a type of musical journal. Trygve Seim will be accompanied by yet another group of internationally acclaimed musicians: Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu, Norwegian double bass player Mats Eilertsen and Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari.
The renowned American drummer Dave Weckl will present at Gărâna Jazz Festival his latest project in collaboration with his old friend, bass player Tom Kennedy (also present in 2014, with Mark Stern and Bill Evans, at Gărâna). Over the course of 40 years, Dave Weckl has gained a hard-to-equal reputation. Modern Drummer included him in the Hall of Fame, considering him one of the best drummers of all times. His incredible dynamic and versatility have inspired musicians from around the world. He was a member of Chick Corea Elektrik & Acoustic Band for 7 years, has recorded multiple albums with this own group David Weckl Band, with Mike Stern, The Brecker Bothers and Michel Camilo. The two musicians will be accompanied by saxophonist Bob Franceschini (collaborated with Victor Wooten and Mike Stern, with George Benson, Eddie Palmieri, Randy Brecker, Chaka Khan, Michel Camilo, Willie Colon and Richard Bona) and Stu Mindeman (collaborated with Kurt Elling, Branford Marsalis and Antonio Sanchez).
Saturday, July 11th, American singer Liv Warfield will bring a tornado of energy through the power of her voice and musical personality to the stage in Wolf’s Meadow. “Alternative rhythm & blues soul with a little bit of rock’n roll” is how she labels her music. Critics consider her a star that is already writing her legend. About her own music, Liv Warfield says: “I just want the vibrations to hit the heart. I want the lyrics to matter and the music to move you.” Famous for her collaborations with Prince (who was also a mentor), with Nancy Wilson of Heart and The Roots, Liv Warfield has cultivated her own voice, and her shows have become famous not only among the US jazz festivals, but those in Europe as well.
It is always an event when Norwegian trumpet player Nils Petter Molvær comes to Gărâna Jazz Festival! And this event will take place on the third day of the Festival. IN the 90’s, through his album Khmer, Nils Petter Molvær took jazz into a completely new direction, creating during each concert intensely profound soundscapes, using the musical resources of many genres with incredible ease. It often happens when you listen to him to forget that the instrument he uses is a trumpet. With the release of Buoyancy, in 2016, the quartet led by Molvær guides the audience through various chambers of the four’s imagination, constantly captivating their listeners. Known themes transform, recolor, induce emotions and feelings, creating, on the spot, a new music.
Sunday, July 12th, the last day of the festival, the audience will have the joy of listening to three projects, stylistically different but equally attractive.
Yotam Silberstein Quartet will be present on the Wolf’s Meadow stage in the fomula: Yotam Silberstein – guitar and voice, Vitor Gonçalves – piano and accordion, Noam Weisenberg – bass and Daniel Dor – drums. The Italian guitar players, based in New York, Yotam Silberstein is one of the promising young musicians on the American jazz scene. He has collaborated with James Moody, The Heath Brothers, Roy Hargrove, George Coleman, David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Paquito D’rivera, Christian McBride and John Patitucci. Few artists are capable of combining post-bop and jazz like Yotam Silberstein. He has the technique, rhythm and lyricism needed for a successful fusion and Future Memories, his sixth album as leader, is a multi-cultural incursion without flaw.
Yuval Ron Quartet will take us through an expansive music universe, in which the highlights of progressive, jazz, rock and electronic music are used by the artists to create the tapestry of an imaginary interstellar journey. “Somewhere in This Universe, Somebody Hits a Drum” is the latest album of guitar player Yuval Ron. Spectacular sessions of virtuosity, colorful compositions, atmospheric soundscapes and sound effects with draw in the audience for a total, electrifying experience.
In the year when we celebrate 50 years from the appearance of one of Miles Davis’s masterpieces – Bitches Brew, we cannot lack a concert dedicated to his genius. Blues, Miles & Beyond is a project signed by two of legendary stars of American Jazz – guitar player Robben Ford and saxophonist Bill Evans. They have combined their creative forces for Blues, Miles & Beyond, so this cannot be anything except an extraordinary encounter. They both played with Miles Davis, at different times. Robben Ford was nominated 5 times for a Grammy. He has also played with Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald, Bob Dylan, John Mayall, Greg Allman, Larry Carlton, Mavis Staples, Brad Paisley and many more. On the other hand, Bill Evans is the answer to the question: “What do Miles Davies, John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and many rock stars have in common?” Evans appeared on the international music scene in the 80’s with Miles Davies (at age 21, recording 6 albums with Davis), toured and recorded with John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and Mick Jagger and released 26 albums as leaders, two of which (Soul Insider and Soulgrass) were nominated for a Grammy.
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The Gărâna Jazz International Festival is organized by the Jazz Banat Cultural Foundation, member of European Jazz Network. During the past 23 years, over 80.000 audience members and numerous internationally acclaimed artists have shared the avant-garde jazz experience under the skies of the small village in the heart of the Banat region of Romania. Gărâna’s guests include: Eberhard Weber, Jan Garbarek, Stanley Clarke, Mike Stern, Tomasz Stańko, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Jordan, John Abercrombie, Miroslav Vitouš, Zakir Hussain, Youn Sun Nah, Bugge Wesseltoft, Avishai Cohen, Jack DeJohnette, Hiromi, Terje Rypdal and many others. Details on www.garana-jazz.ro.
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