Artists from across Caucasus set for Tbilisi’s Kavkaz Jazz fest

Jazz artists from across South Caucasus will flock to Georgia’s capital to showcase their talents and educate emerging musicians within the Kavkaz Jazz Festival launching on Wednesday.

For six days, bands and individual performers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will hold master classes and offer performances to celebrate jazz scenes of their countries.

The roster will include saxophonist Armen Huysnunts, United States-based Georgian drummer George Mel and ZZAJ Patterns from Azerbaijan.

The event will open on June 14 with master classes for young artists at Tbilisi State Conservatoire.

Aspiring jazz musicians attending the event will learn from Huysnunts, who has played alongside famous performers including Grammy Award-winning bassist Richard Bona and keyboardist Joe Zawinul.

The sessions will also be led by pianist Salman Gambarov, founder of Bakustic Jazz band featuring "habitual combo and fusion, and modal jazz”, said festival organisers.

Georgian band Auditorium A will be among performers of the festival. Photo: Jazz Cafe Singer.

US-based drummer George Mel, a graduate of Berklee College Of Music, will also mentor participants of the classes, looking to share his experience from playing with artists including Esperanza Spalding and Avishai Cohen.

Finally, bassist Senturk Oztas will round off the roster of artists leading the sessions. The Turkish musician has been part of jazz projects including Songs From A Breeze and Social Inclusion Band.

Following on the master classes, a concert of four bands will entertain audience at Tbilisi’s Movement Theatre on June 17.

The festival was founded by Helen Mechitova, who works as director of the annual event. Photo: Spitfire Media/Kavkaz Jazz Festival.

Lucy Khanyan Trio and Artur Grigorian Quintet from Armenia will feature in the line-up that will also involve ZZAJ Patterns from Azerbaijan and Auditorium A from Georgia.

The eighth edition of Kavkaz Jazz Festival will conclude on June 19 with a jam session ‘Jazz Up The Borders’, featuring artists from the festival roster and students taking part in the master classes.

Kavkaz Jazz Festival was founded in 2010 by Helen Mechitova, and has hosted over 100 artists from 11 countries since its launch.