Under the slogan LAGÁNO („Take It Easy“), the Novi Sad Jazz Festival returns this year with a new concept, celebrating outstanding jazz culture and the authentic rhythm of life in Novi Sad. As it approaches its 30th anniversary, the festival moves beyond traditional concert formats, transforming the very heart of the city into a unique jazz experience for more than 35 hours. From 3 to 5 July, more than 80 performers from eight countries will take part, ranging from internationally acclaimed artists to emerging stars, accompanied by a variety of side programmes that enrich the overall jazz experience. Among them, a special place is reserved for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary jazz musician Miles Davis.
The headline artists of this year’s festival, performing at the Summer Cinema of the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad, include Avishai Cohen, recipient of the award bearing Miles Davis’s name and one of the world’s leading contemporary jazz artists; Joe Lovano, Grammy Award winner; Antonio Faraò, winner of the prestigious Martial Solal International Jazz Piano Competition; and the acclaimed Italian pianist, singer and composer Francesca Tandoi.
The stage at the Catholic Porta will host some of the most exciting names of the new international jazz scene, including Milena Casado, one of the leading emerging jazz artists of today; Emma Smith, recipient of the Parliamentary Jazz Award; and renowned European jazz drummer Vladimir Kostadinović with his quartet. The programme will also feature the regionally recognised next-generation ensemble QuadBones, instrumental group Deep Steady, Bojan Cvetković Quartet, and Jazzysad, one of the pioneers of blending electronic and jazz music in the Balkans.
The festival programme will further expand into some of Novi Sad’s most recognisable city-centre streets, Njegoševa Street and Laze Telečkog Street, where audiences will enjoy performances by well-known domestic and regional artists including Bullet for a Badman, Funk Shui, Foltin, White City Soul, DJ Katalina, Spare Cats, Boris Hložan, Afro Gitano, Valerija Šurgalina Quartet, Anđela Koruga Quartet, Tanja Senić Quartet, and many others.
Tickets for the concerts at the Summer Cinema go on sale today, 8 June, at promotional prices via Gigstix ticket outlets and online at gigstix.com. Admission to all other Novi Sad Jazz Festival programmes is free of charge.
The new festival concept is part of a collaboration between the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad and the Foundation “Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture”, with the support of the Novi Sad Tourist Organization. More information about the Novi Sad Jazz Festival can be found on the official website: novisadjazzfestival.rs