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A crazy boogie-night will warm up the XXI Jazzfest in Bansko (4 – 11 August). Dr. Emil Iliev intents to bring together on the stage two grand pianos and three of the world’s best pianists – the German Axel Zwingenberger (indisputable audience favorite), the Japanese Keito Saito (also played here) and the Swiss La Diva, who will be performing in Bulgaria for the first time. The concert will be held on August 3rd in the big hall of the Nikola Vaptsarov community centre. Tickets are available at eventim.bg. Except this concert the 8 festival days will take place on the square in Bansko free of charge.

The international part of the program is intercontinental as usual. The Big Band of the jazz festival in Nis arrives as well.

We will hear the saxophonist Dmitry Baevsky, born in St. Petersburg, who graduated at Mussorgsky School and is currently living in New York. He was playing with Buster Williams, Benny Powell, Joe Chambers, Amy Lawrence, Cecil McBee.

One of the most beloved British pop jazz formations Matt Bianco will also be in Bansko. The britons were in Bulgaria in 2010 to present their album HiFi Bossanova. In Bansko will also arrive the stunning American Lisa Simone. The 55-year-old daughter of the phenomenal singer and pianist Nina Simone starts her professional music career when she is 30, after having previously served in the Air Force. Bansko will as well applaud the legendary drummer Omar Hakim, son of the jazz trombone player Hassan Hakim, who played with the great Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. He was spotted for music after joining Joe Zawinul’s band Weather Report. He became popular all over America during Sting's tour Bring on the Night. In the late 1990s he was touring with Madonna and Lionel Richie. Later he performed with Bryan Ferry, Lee Ritenour, Chieli Minucci, The Rippingtons, Bobby McFerrin and others. Today Omar is one of the most sought after drummers and his performances sound in more than 200 albums recorded by jazz, pop and rock stars from all over the World.
Among the other foreign guests are the Jive Aces from the UK.

Dr. Emil Iliev revealed that he has an agreement with the mythical flamenco group Gipsy Kings, whose members are Spanish-speaking, but a few people know that they are actually from France – they are born in Arles and Montpellier. The jazz fest chairman has to raise the fee for the Latinos, who have sold nearly 20 million albums and have multiple Grammy Awards. However this summer Gipsy Kings will be in Bulgaria for their concert in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on June 28th.