Sibiu Jazz Festival 8 – 15 May 2011

   Sibiu Jazz Festival 8 – 15 May 2011

Few jazz festivals in the world can boast a history longer than four decades, as in Sibiu’s case. During the last 15 years this cultural tradition has been nourished and developed thanks to the Sibiu Jazz Festival Foundation, headed by promoter H.K.J. Schmidt. What’s in for this year’s edition? The programme, scheduled for the 8-15 May week, is as variegated as exhilarating.

Three attractive ladies are going to tackle jazz singing from various angles:

1.) Fair-haired Belgian Fanny Beriaux, raised in the spirit of classical music, has been seduced by the joys of improvisation and, in her turn, tries to seduce us with her own artistic & personal charms.

2.) Cosmopolitan China Moses resorts to her Afro-American roots in order to revive sound-flavours of jazz divas (among whom her own mother – Dee Dee Bridgewater – holds a place of esteem). After passing through soul, rhythm-and-blues, and even a stint as moderator of MTV-France, the black singer sporting Yellow-Danger name has been brought back to the familiar track by French pianist Raphaël Lemonnier. Priority: entertainment.

3.) Portuguese singer born in Moçambique, Maria João, is one of the most versatile and cosmopolitan felines acting on today’s scene. She reached international fame through her fruitful collaboration with Japanese pianist Aki Takase. But her true musical mentor is brilliant pianist, composer & arranger Mário Laginha, with whom she had recorded her debut album in 1983. They went on making other 12 or so until today, when Maria & Mário have turned into a brand for Portuguese jazz.

The Netherlands will have high level representation in Sibiu, by that country’s outstanding sax-player Yuri Honing. He uses jazz, rock, dance and electronics fearlessly, according to his conviction that jazz is not a style but a language. Regardless of style, what matters for Honing is “communicating modern times through music”. He proves his point accompanied by trustworthy Duch cohorts, as well as German guitarist Frank Möbus.

The Polish group Chromosomes, founded by drummer Artur Dominik, explores disparities and convergences between such impervious aesthetics as King Crimson’s or Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time. The bold tonal colours of the quartet’s frontline (Tomek Kasiukiewicz / trombone & electronics, Lukasz Kluczniak / saxes) receive due bass support from Marcin Lamch.

Polymorphous saxophonist Harry Sokal, young Hammond-organ alchemist Raphael Wressnig and vigorous drummer Lukas Knöfler are bound to prove that Austria remains a great power in terms of music. Their Organ-Trio offers hope to any jazz buff, not only to those still unconsoled after Jimmy Smith’s death.

This year’s indigenous proposals are also quite promising:

1.) the ensemble led by Timişoara’s saxophone & flute player Liviu Laurenţiu Butoi will feature veteran pianist Burton Greene, an American transcontinental avant-gardist.

2.) heavy-duty saxophonist Eduard Jak Neumann (brought up in Timişoara) returns to Romania after some years of self-exile into England.

3.) Marcian Petrescu is the first Romanian challenger of the decade-long ruler in the realm of jazz-harmonica, Toots Thielemans.

Like any respectable festival, Sibiu never forgets about super stars. The choice for 2011 is piano-player Jesús Chucho Valdés, pontif of Cuban jazz and a highly influential artist of world renown. Son of another living legend of Cuban jazz, Bebo Valdés (now in his nineties!), Chucho has fathered the group Irakere (1972), which redifened the coordinates of Cuban jazz expressivity. He has contributed to the universal fame of such jazzmen as Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Omar Sosa & co., has toured the entire world, led the most important Latin American jazz festival in Havana, and is among the happy few outside jazz’s homeland to be accepted in the “canon” of the most important personalities in today’s jazz, by the critical guild of Down Beat (America’s referential jazz magazine). On the 9th of October 2011 Jesús Chucho Valdés will turn 70. In the same month his youngest son, Julián, will be 5 years old. Vitality, thy name is Jazz!

More info on www.sibiujazz.eu