Global talent for 18th annual Tbilisi Jazz Festival

Stars of the international jazz scene are coming to Georgia to entertain music enthusiasts at the 18^th annual Tbilisi Jazz Festival, starting this Friday.

The week-long event will feature six performances in Georgia’s capital – but revellers are advised to get in quick as tickets are selling fast, with some shows already sold out.

Two trio bands, a quartet and three individual performances are among the program of the 18^th annual event. One of the most anticipated shows was the Festival’s headline act, award-winning Canadian pianist and singer Diana Krall, who will open the week-long celebration on October 23 with a gig at the Tbilisi Concert Hall.

Krall’s Tbilisi performance will be part of her Wallflower world tour, named after her latest album.

The #WallflowerWorldTour continues with shows in Zurich, Munich, Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, Tbilisi & Istanbul. http://t.co/4R317iana5

— Diana Krall (@DianaKrall) October 15, 2015

The program also featured famous American bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding, who in 2011 won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist touted as a rare achievement for a jazz performer. Spalding, a solo artist, will present her new project Emily's D+Evolution, in which she rekindled her childhood interest in theatre, poetry and movement to create a visual presentation as much as a musical performance.

One of the world’s top jazz drummers Jeff Ballard will bring his trio to Georgia’s capital on October 26, one day before Israeli artist Avishai Cohen showcases his skills at the Tbilisi Event Hall, the Festival’s second venue.

American bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding performs at A Celebration of American Creativity event at the White House, Washington, USA last week. Photo from Esperanza Spalding/Instagram.

Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda and his supporting band will take to the stage on October 28. The artist, praised by Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper for his "captivating virtuosity”, was known around the world for his innovative use of the classical harp.

The Colombian plays the harp like hardly anyone else on earth. His hands, seemingly powered by two different people, produce a totally unique, symphonic fullness of sound,” the German paper wrote about the Bogotá-born performer.

The 2015 edition of the Tbilisi Jazz Festival will conclude on October 29 with a celebration of the famous band Fourplay’s 25 years on stage.

The Tbilisi music festival was established as an annual event in 1998. It was considered a successor to the maiden Soviet Georgian jazz event that took place in 1978, 1986 and 1989.

Along with the Batumi Jazz Festival on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, the event allowed the country to bring international jazz talent to Georgia every year while also giving local performers the chance to take to the stage in front of a large audience.

The full program of the Tbilisi Jazz Festival 2015 can be viewed here.