Koktebel Jazz Party: Major International Cultural Event

KOKTEBEL, Crimea, September 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

The Koktebel Jazz Party international festival, which is underway in Crimea, has become one of the biggest cultural events in Russia and has attracted musicians from all over the world 

The Koktebel Jazz Party festival, organized by Rossiya Segodnya and supported by Russia's Culture Ministry, has become the largest international cultural event in Crimea. The best jazz groups from Russian regions, Brazil, the United States, Israel, Britain, India, Armenia, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands performed at the festival on September 12-15.

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One of the main goals of Koktebel Jazz Party is to change public attitude to jazz as an obsolete musical style, a view far from true.

"We wanted to create a real jazz festival to put people in a really jazzy mood," said musician Serge Golovnya, the festival's art director. The festival was held at several venues, where the public could learn about modern jazz trends or listen to their favorite musicians. The festival's revenues will be invested in Crimea's development.

Every day from 6 PM to 11 PM, the public admired the brightest jazz stars, who performed on the Main Stage, including the Big Jazz Orchestra led by Pyotr Vostokov, the Anton Gorbunov Quintet, Andrei Kondakov and The Brazil All Stars, Denis Shvytov & Silver Woman, Huun-Huur-Tu, Anna Klesun and Esh, Vladimir Ivanov and the Ornithology band, the Ivan Farmakovsky Quartet, Alex Hutchings Band, the Vahagn Hayrapetyan Quartet and Anna Buturlina, Сlub des Belugas, JVL Big Band, Serge Golovnya and Karina Kozhevnikova.

The headliners were Yakov Okun's International Jazz Quintet & Deborah Brown, Valery Ponomaryov & the We Remember Art Blakey sextet, Tom Harrell, and The Jamal Thomas Band.

The festival's program also included shows by new, young and promising musicians. Everyone could listen to and watch them live on the Open Stage.

A stage for the fans of classical blues and jazz was open in the backyard of the Voloshin Museum House, where the festival's opening ceremony was held, the Korovin & Fagot Duo performed, and a lecture titled "Jazz Night. History of Soviet, Russian and International Jazz" was accompanied by Serge Golovnya's band.