Festival program includes performances of musicians in open air in Old Riga, master classes for young performing musicians, performances of world stars in Arena Riga Concert-Sport Complex and night jam sessions of Festival participants.
World Jazz Festival is opening Friday on Dome Square. Open to the public. 
This Festival is already the second. The first World Jazz Festival took place in Riga last year and had a great success with the Latvian jazz fans. Organizers also noted a great interest in foreign festival concerts, so, the project became international by performers and audience.
This year organizers are about to replicate success of the first festival and present a program with world star participation. The world-known saxophonist Igor Butman will appear on stage of Arena Riga on July 24 with Moscow Jazz Orchestra. Over 16 years of its existence, Butman Orchestra has gone on tour to hundreds cities in different countries. It performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, legendary jazz club Birdland and other famous venues many times. Igor Butman together with talented Latvian performer Intars Busulis will perform famous compositions of Frank Sinatra this time.
The program of the first day of the Festival also includes the performance of Triloka Gurtu, musician who was born in Indian Mumbai and delicately managed to mix his native country music with a jazz, fusion and world music. Over the years of his career, he managed to produce albums in cooperation with prominent modern musicians such as Garry Moore, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul and many others.
On July 25, the World Jazz Festival will present Stanley Clarke, a famous musician who gathered dozens of jazz guitar player prizes, including Grammy and Emmy; Jazzman of the year according to Rolling Stone Magazine, who got his star in the Walk of Fame and produced many gold and platinum CD’s. He skillfully plays many instruments, amazing his listeners with unusual performance, technique and complete sound. Jazz fans will have a chance to enjoy performance of “Take 6” vocalists from USA and extraordinary Georgian pianist Beka Gochiashvilli.
We are happy that large international events visited by the Western and Eastern guests are held in Riga. Such trend coincides with our bank strategy on customer attraction and service, – the Member of the Supervisory Board of Rietumu Bank, Alexander Gafin says, – Two Festivals –
World Jazz and
Meetings with Laima Vaikule – this is certainly a bright culmination of today’s cultural season in Riga and Jurmala. Starry cast of performers, extremely good program and marvelous atmosphere of these two events explain a great public interest and deserved success. The citizens and guests of Riga will have a holiday with the World Class Jazz as a central figure.
We are very impressed by great interest in this festival and support of our partners and city authorities we receive at all stages. We are pleased by this and will meet all expectations, and I hope, even exceed them, Arkady Ukupnik notes.
To create the atmosphere of a real jazz holiday, free concert of Russian and Baltic jazzmen will be held on July 24, in open air at Dome Square - the very heart of Old Riga. Estonian vocalist Sophia Rubina, pianist and composer Nik Levinovsky from USA, Latvian Mirage Jazz Orchestra and many others will take part in this concert.
The organizers tried to pay attention to educative part of the Festival: master classes by World Jazz Festival headliners for the students and all comers will be held in Latvian Academy of Music on July 25.
Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
Phone: +371-67020506
Fax: +371-67020563
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