It’s back and richer than ever

The biggest Athens Jazz that ever happened is here! The 23rd edition of the longest running jazz music festival in Greece is coming to Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens from May 26 to June 3giving Athenians and visitors to the city nine days full of live concerts and exciting meetings with the most talented musicians from Greece and abroad.

In the biggest event in its history, the this year’s Athens Jazz it includes for the first time two extra days that come to celebrate both its opening and closing in the most exciting way.

The program of Athens Jazz

Her Sunday, May 26 on the main stage of Technopolis are the Meutethe dream eleven from Hamburg with the characteristic red jackets, to announce the opening of the 23rd Athens Jazz with their imaginative, subversive and highly danceable jazz-techno music, with opening act from “Pragma”, his special project pianist Kostis Christodoulou.

Her Monday June 3rd the festival closes with the wonderful jazz trio from Canada, the BadBadNotGood. The band that changed the parameters of what fresh, modern jazz is, comes to Athens Jazz to give us a triumphant closing show, filled with her stylistic flexibility and multi-prismatic executive acumen.

The opening and closing shows are organized in collaboration with the neighboring Gazartewhile the pre-sale of tickets for these two concerts has opened via more.com.

What does the 23rd Athens Jazz include this year?

Of course, as every year, one day of Athens Jazz is dedicated to the Greek jazz scene with the appearance of the three domestic acts that the artistic committee of the festival highlighted in the categories jazz+, new musical proposal and official participation.

Thus, the inventive “marriage” of the Greek musical tradition with the jazz of the duo of Yan Van & Fotis Siota, the stormy rhythms of the unpredictable MOb Trio and the musical experimentations of the internationally renowned trumpeter and composer’s trio Andreas Polyzogopoulos they will open the Monday, May 27, the series of 21 live concerts of the festival with free entry.

Her Tuesday, May 28 we will enjoy one of the most central figures of the contemporary Slovak music scene, the Michal Bugala with his versatile sound trio, the Triple Jumpwhich departs from its jazz starting point by sliding comfortably – even rapping – between hip-hop, funk and various aspects of rock.

The youthful energy of Dock In Absolute, of the group from Luxembourg who clearly loves classical music without hesitating to sneak peeks at prog-rock compositional structure, while then the keen guitarist Louis Matute from Switzerland she travels with us Large Ensemble into a melodically rich jazz world full of Latin aromas, creatively exploiting his Central American origins.

THE Wednesday, May 29 starts with Julia Karosi who, together with her quartet, uniquely integrates the musical tradition and folk songs of Hungary in a classic jazz setting. The baton passes to another special musical connection, the one that the French musician manages with characteristic ease Leon Phal: his groovy sound has a pervasive sense of the presence of electronic elements, but in reality the result is obtained in a completely analog way, through the patents of his talented quintet.

Finally, the stage belongs to the “man with the red trombone”, the immovable Nils Landgrenwhich with the Funk Unit of, one of Sweden’s most important jazz-funk acts, make every live show look like a delightful tribute to the greats of the funk school.

Her schedule Thursday, May 30 opens the Cyprus and the outstanding British Cypriot performer Erika Soteri which mixes jazz with rock, funky, soul, latin and R&B elements, just before we enjoy the deep expressiveness of the Mathias Eick Quintet, the quintet of the sensitive Norwegian trumpeter who is one of the greatest figures of the contemporary music scene of his country.

The evening concludes with Italian finesse at its best: the extremely versatile Italian Paolo Fresu comes to Athens Jazz company with Devil Quartet his, with whom he has been in musical dialogue for twenty one years and also consists of important figures of Italian jazz. Together, they will give us an unforgettable, evocative live full of southern warm-blooded spontaneity but also Central European stylistic and executive precision.

Her Friday, May 31 take the stage Product May Contain from Poland, who create a unique sound mix by combining, among other things, their folk music tradition with ambient elements, but also chamber music with ethnic percussion. Her abstract jazz expression follows Mingo Rajandi, of the multi-faceted artist from Estonia, whose work is characterized by the power of simplicity, liberated expression and inter-artistic momentum capable of seducing and captivating the listener.

It is succeeded by Zabelov Groupthe excellent duo from the Czech Republic, with a live performance that will resemble an intoxicating electronic set, where electric accordion, eerie vocals and live recorded loops with repetitive patterns produce a multi-layered sonic construction that reaches impressive climaxes.

The first day of summer brings the corresponding mood to Athens Jazz. That Saturday June 1stthe rhythms are raised by the heptad of Shake Stew from Austria with its groovy madness, but also the numerous percussions that combined with the rich wind instruments with spiritual jazz allusions creates a psychedelic listening experience.

It’s the turn of the rioters Sunborn: the energetic six-piece from Denmark bet that their “sunny” instrumental music, with its afro-jazz, ethnic elements and electronic beats with South American salsa, will send everyone into a frenzy of dancing.

Saturday’s live shows conclude with the irresistible voice of the British performer Cherise. She belongs to a new generation of soul, jazz and R&B musicians from the UK who manage with respect but with the necessary fresh approach a huge musical legacy, while she stands out for her punk swagger, authentic soul-jazz flavor and pervasive confidence her.

On Sunday, June 2 we welcome her Nana Rashid and we enjoy the fragility, tenderness and deafening intensity that emanates from her melancholic yet dynamic timbre – characteristics that rightfully make her one of the greatest musical talents Denmark has produced in recent years.

Next, the award-winning Daahoud Salim Quintet from Spain comes to cover a wide range of jazz directions, focusing both on energetic hard bop and the unique technical skill of leader Daahoud Salim on the piano.

Finally, the gravato and full of fantasy shape from Germany, the Botticelli Baby, close the evening and share with the audience a variety of jazz styles, explosive movement, dance moods, but also a special cinematic emotion that characterizes their restless and creative artistic vision.
Saxophones that speak with their souls, trumpets in musical ecstasy, pianos that take off, voices that captivate and dancing mood in an endless crescendo.

All this awaits us at 23rd Athens Jazz in the Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens, along with a series of parallel actions for all ages that will be announced in detail very soon.