THE HISTORY OF THE FESTIVAL

YEAR 2011

“There was a full hall in Lipetsk gathered by the “Jazz Province”. But it came as no surprise because though this festival has no Federal status it is an extraordinary cultural event in the provincial parts of Russia indeed.”

(Olga Glazunova, Lipetsk, “the Russian Newspaper”, 09.11.2011)

An annual XVI international festival the “Jazz Province” continued since the 27th of October to the 14th of November in 10 cities of Central Federal Region with a great success. The festival began in Moscow and then continued its way through Bryansk, Orel, Kursk, Lipetsk, Elets, Voronezh and Tula. On the 14th of November the “Jazz Province” festival made a “music break” in Yaroslavl. There were about two or three remarkable concerts of world famous performers in each city with completely full halls. More than eleven thousand listeners gave their visits to the eighteen concerts of the “Jazz Province” this year. Besides performances in the big concert halls there were also held eighteen master-classes devoted to the art during the “jazz marathon-2011”. More than four thousand listeners became participants of the master-classes.

The program of the XVI International festival of jazz consisted of performances of not only collectives and solo-projects, that were already well-known to the public for their annual participation, but also there were some jazz-masters that were unknown before.

It was the first time when blues was represented at the “Jazz Province” festival. It was performed by the star of the American blues, singer and pianist Jeff Young, who was cooperating with Sting on the recording of “All This Time” album. American guitarist David Kalish also took part in there.

During the festival the audience had a chance to enjoy a project of the one of the most remarkable saxophonists in modern England Ed Jones. He performed with a well-known band “Stekpanna” and an English tuber Steve Waterman.

A vocalist, pianist and composer from Rio-de-Janeiro Rique Pantoja represented his program called “Brazil is in my Heart” that he performed with such masters of jazz, like bass-guitarist Kip Reed and drummer Joel Taylor. For the whole eight years he played with American jazz tuber Chet Baker and such stars, like Carlos Santana and Ricky Martin.

Another peculiar participant of the “Jazz Province” was a musician Kamal Shajri from Morocco. He represented an authentic African blues playing an unusual bass-instrument which was a hembry.

It was the first time when German band “Klima Kallima” took part in the “Jazz Provice”. Also there was an Estonian quartet of Oleg Pissarenko; Danish vocalist Stene Henriksen; Russian blues-musicians Victor Kolesov and Anna Kolesova; percussionist Vardan Babayan; jazz-orchestra of Rostov State philharmonic society named after Kim Nazaretov; vocalist Olga Yushkova; alt-saxophonist and vocalist Anna Koroleva.

“Old friends” of the festival also took part in it, the musicians that left their traces in the history of the “Jazz Province” for years. Such as Lembit Saarsalu, Sergey Vintskevich, Alexey Kuznetsov, Igor Brill, “Vision of Sound” band, German Lukyanov’s ensemble “Cadans Millenium”.

The festival existed for sixteen years already. Its art-director and organizer of the project itself Leonid Vintskevich called the “Jazz Province” a “true gift of fate”, because it was and it is a very costly project and it is a miracle that it exists for sixteen years.

“Art cannot evolve on self-repayment, it requires support of the State and patrons”.