Minsk jazz festival shines spotlight on Georgian jazz artists

A host of Georgian performers will entertain music enthusiasts at the upcoming Jazz in Minsk International Festival in the capital of Belarus, starting tomorrow.

Tbilisi Big Band will team up with celebrated Georgian vocalists and international jazz stars from the United States, the Netherlands, Italy, Cuba and Russia for the three-day event. This year marked the fourth annual event which will be celebrated at two venues in the very heart of Minsk.

The Festival will be headlined by vocal jazz legend Michele Hendricks who will line up alongside Tbilisi Big Band on the opening evening.

Daughter of legendary jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks, Michele will perform six songs with the Georgian band. The latter arrived in Minsk after being involved in various Tbilisi events and festivals in October.

Singer Mariko Ebralidze has represented Georgia in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest and featured at jazz events in Georgia as part of Tbilisi Big Band. Photo from Giorgi Gogichaishvili/Tbilisi Big Band.

On day two of the Festival the entire roster of Georgian performers will claim the stage in the Georgian Jazz Carnival section, with singers Maia Baratashvili, Tako Gachechiladze, Mariam Pavliashvili and Mariko Ebralidze all set to entertain the audience.

Soviet-era jazz master Tamaz Kurashvili and Tbilisi Big Band will also showcase the country’s jazz talent.

The fourth edition of the Minsk festival will also feature prominent Italian pianist and composer Luca Dell'Anna. Photo from Minsk Jazz Club/Facebook.

The closing day on November 21 will see international artists including American jazz legend Zane Massey and Italian pianist Luca Dell'Anna round off the 2015 annual event.

The Jazz in Minsk Festival was founded by Belarusian jazz pianist and presenter Evgeniy Vladimirov, who also established the Minsk Jazz club in 1995.