Branford Marsalis Quartet, Antonio Sanchez band, Monty Alexander Trio in Tbilisi Jazz Festival lineup
Branford Marsalis and his fellow band members Joey Calderazzo, Eric Revis and Justin Faulkner will be on stage for the 2021 festival. Photo via Tbilisi Jazz Festival.
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Three acclaimed bands in the lineup and a new location for performances will mark this year's Tbilisi Jazz Festival next month, with Branford Marsalis Quartet, Antonio Sanchez band and Monty Alexander Trio set to entertain listeners over three days in the capital.
In the courtyard of the Georgian National Museum, an open-air spot that has hosted a number of events over the recent years will be used to set the stage for the roster of performers, with three evening shows on the programme.
Four-time Grammy Award recipient drummer Antonio Sanchez and his band will open the festival, with the Mexico City-born artist also nominated for the Golden Globe and Bafta Awards. Sanchez has been praised by the New York Times as "one of the standout jazz drummers on the contemporary scene".
Antonio Sanchez is one of the most respected drummers working today. Sanchez transcends genre with the ability to literally play and adapt to any situation with virtually any ensemble
- Critical Jazz
The Grammy wins under his belt include awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for Speaking of Now and The Way Up as well as Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Unity Band and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for Birdman.
Day two of the festival will then see saxophonist Branford Marsalis lead his quartet on to the stage, bringing his own Grammy-winning talent along with those of pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner.
A recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts citation and author of over a dozen albums with the band, most recently The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, Marsalis and his fellow quartet members will be in Tbilisi just before going on a tour of Europe.
Completing the programme for the 2021 festival, Grammy-nominated pianist Monty Alexander, featured on over 75 recordings and known for projects in diverse genres from blues to bebop, will be seen and heard by music enthusiasts choosing to spend the summer evening in the GNM yard. Alexander was nominated for the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for Harlem Kingston Express Live!.
Organisers plan to have collections of the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia, the Georgian National Museum network venue hosting the festival in its yard, open for event visitors before the shows. The 2021 festival will run between July 6-8 at the museum located at 3 Rustaveli Avenue.