International Jazz Festival 2012
Bansko

The International Jazz Festival in Bansko is the biggest summer musical event in Bulgaria. The enormous popularity which the festival enjoys among specialists and fans across the world has turned it into one of the foremost international cultural happenings in the Balkans. The quaint old town becomes a meeting place for emblematic figures of today’s music world. The concerts are free for the public and the festival is organised with the aid of sponsors. Traditionally, the programme features styles and groups representing almost all jazz trends. The evening concerts draw huge crowds to the open-air stage on Nikola Vaptsarov Square in downtown Bansko. Throughout the festival week jazz is also played during the day on various smaller stages in the large resort complexes and restaurants. Ever since its foundation in 1998, Bansko Jazz Fest is held every year from August 8 to 13. In 2012 as an exception will be held from 4 to 11 August.

Every year, the programme invariably features several main trends. On the one hand - presentation of the historic roots of jazz. Standard, blues, bebop, swing, Dixieland… On the other – the modern face of “free music”. Although completely different in character, ethno-styles too, have found a place the festival programme. The Krakatau Band from Indonesia, Yehya Khalil Band from Egypt, the local Bulgara, as well as Stoyan and Elitza who were on stage for the premiere of Drumboy. In the ninth edition of the festival Vlatko Stefanovski, Miroslav Tadic and Theodossi Spassov appeared together on stage the first time before Bulgarian audiences, and the music from their project Third Mother, is still touring the world stages. More than twenty different big bands have played Bansko over the years. Besides the traditional participants from the Big Band of Bulgarian National Radio under the baton of Yanko Miladinov, who usually open the event, notable guest performers include the big formations of Vili Kazasian, Georgi Borisssov, Angel Zaberski, several orchestras from Germany, including the IKS Big Band. And during the tenth festival edition audiences were able to hear the arguably most unusual orchestra in the history of the festival – the SHAPE International Big Band, which is part of the official orchestra representing NATO.

The Program

Hotel Florimont
3 August, Friday – start 20.00 h   

1. Yildiz Ibrahimova and Big Band BNR – conductor Antoni Donchev (Turkey, Bulgaria)
2. ЕYOT Band (Serbia) – Dejan Ilijic – piano, Sladjan Milenovic – guitar, Milos Vojvodic – drums, Marko Stojiljkovic – bass

Stage "Nikola Vapcarov" Square

4 August, Saturday   

1. Big Band BNR - conductor Antoni Donchev and special guests Camellia Todorova & Vassil Petrov  (Bulgaria)
2. Mario Stantchev Trio (France; Bulgaria) – Mario Stantchev – piano, Vesselin Vesselinov ‘Eko’ – double bass,  Dimitar Semov – drums
3. Christina Kirova and the Old Gold Band (Bulgaria) – Gencho Vartovski – leader of the formation plays the trumpet and flugelhorn, Atanas Hadjiev – clarinet, saxophone, vocals, Tsvetan Troyanski – trombone, Kalin Zhechev – piano, vocals, Mitko Gidishki – bass, vocals, Vassil Vassilev – drums, vocals.
4. The Doyle Band (United Kingdom) – Mick Doyle – lead vocals, Paul Tongs – piano, backing vocals, Dermot McNeill  – double bass, backing vocals, Reece Barker – electric guitar, percussion, backing vocals, Dave McCarthy – drums, backing vocals, Paul Castle – saxоphone, backing vocals

5 August, Sunday   

1. Kekko Fornarelli Trio (Italy) – Kekko Fornarelli – piano&sint), Luca Alemanno – double bass, Dario Congedo – drums
2. Champian Fulton Trio (USA)  – Champian Fulton – vocals and piano, Mathias Allamane – bass and Mourad Benhammou – drums
3. Alexandroff Ragtime Band (Bulgaria) and special guest Mary Taneva – vocals. Roumen Alexandroff – banjo and guitar, Stoicho Radnev – trumpet, Nevilian Gemizhev – clarinet, Roumen Alexandroff – banjo, Nikolai Enev – tuba, Dessislava Tileva and Miroslava Nacheva – vocals

6 August, Monday   

1. IKS Big Band – conductor Horst Aussenhof  (Germany) – Pavel Mozgovoy – vocals, klarinette, Frank Ebert – vocals
2. Axel  & Torsten Zwingenberger (Germany) – Axel Zwingenberger – piano, Torsten Zwingenberger – drums
3. The Speakeasies’ Swing Band! (Greece) – Caterina Sisinni – vocals, Panos Karnoutsos – electric guitar, Giannis Ntalianis – acoustic guitar, Panos Voulgarakis – double bass, Manolis Stamatiadis – piano, Ilias Gkrimpas – clarinet, Thanos Anagnostopoulos – violin, Stergios Koias – drums

7 August, Tuesday   

1. The  Merry  Poppins  (Austria) – David Lageder – vocals, Thomas J. Aichinger – guitar and trombone, Mathias Vorauer – double bass, Robert Aichinger – drums,  Herbert Koenighofer – saxophone, clarinet & percussions
2. Leah Kline Quintet (USA, Bulgaria) – Leah Kline – vocals, Mihail Yossifov – trumpet, Dimiter Bodurov – piano, Chavdar Nachev – double bass, Dimiter Dimitrov – drums
3. 8 W D (Eight Wheel Drive) (Germany) – Wolfgang "Pannas" Dannecker – vocals, Manni Schmelzer – trombone, Achim Rietzler – saxophone, Jos Wetzels – trumpet, Wolfgang "Dufte" Albers – guitar, Willie Bergen – bass, Dick Franssen – keyboard & organ, Charlie T – drums

8 August, Wednesday   

1. Alexandrina Simeon Quintett (Germany) – Alexandrina Simeon –  vocals, composition, lyrics, Stephan Holstein – clarinet, saxophone, Daniel Mark Eberhard – piano, accordion, Uli Fiedler – bass, Tom Steppich –  drums, percussions
2. Hans Dulfer Band (Holland) – Hans  Dulfer – sax, Eric Barkman – bass, John Helder – vocals,  Jerome Hol – guitar, Joris Feiertag – drums, Musonda Kaoma “Crimson Flo do” – breakdancer
3. Mungo Jerry Blues Band (England) – Ray Dorset – vocals, guitar, Heini Altbart – drums, Johnathan Playle – bass guitar, Helmut Posch – piano, keyboards

9 August, Thursday   

1. Big Band Blagoevgrad & soloists – conductor Boris Yanev, special guest Rumyana Kotseva  (Bulgaria)
2. Fanfán Tulipán (Czech Republic) – Eliška Svobodová – vocals, xylophone, Dušan Navařík – flute, Ian Mazura – piano, Vlado Micenko – double-bass, Cyril Lojda – drums
3. Big Lenny Power Exson (USA) – Big Lenny Power Exson – vocals & guitar, Eddie Taylor – saxophone, Butch Kellem – trombone, Jon Playle – bass & vocals, Helmut Posch – piano, keyboards, Heini Altbart - drums

10 August, Friday   

1. Amir Gwirtzman  (Israel)  – multi-instrumental show
2. Andrzej Jagodzinski Trio (Poland) – Andrzej Jagodzinski – piano, Adam Cegielski  – bass, Czeslaw Bartkowski – drums
3. Alexandre Cunha Band (Brazil) – Alexandre Cunha – drums, Bruno Coppini – bass guitar & vocals, Marcelo Valezi – flute & saxophone, Ricardo Cren – piano, Eduardo Gallian – guitar
4. RomaNeno Project (Bulgaria) – Neno Iliev – vocals, accordion, Boril Iliev – tenor sax, Mihail Yossifov – trumpet, Velislav Stoyanov – trombone, Vassil Spassov – piano, Boris Taslev – bass,  Ventsislav Radev – drums.

11 August, Saturday   

1. Károly Binder & Mihály Borbély (Hungary) – Károly Binder – piano, Mihály Borbély – flute
2. Boyko Tsvetanov – tenor, Stoyan Bonchev – bass, Alex Zografov – piano (Bulgaria, USA)
3. Jazz Connection (Holland) – Jurgen Feskens – trumpet, flugelhorn & vocals, Peter van Steen – trombone, Rob Henneveld – alto & tenor sax, clarinet, Bart Maassen – piano, Bart Wouters – double bass & vocals, Ad Hoendervangers – drums
4. Seven Kings (France) – Paul Reyes “Pablo” (Gipsy Kings) – lead guitar, Vincent Patrac “Kéko” – lead vocals, Pascal Lorier “Paquito” – second lead guitar, Stéphane Lambotte – drummer, Francois Amador “Canute” – vocals & guitar, Didier Deleria “Diego” – bass