site.bta2nd Dr. Emil Iliev International Jazz Fest Kicks Off in Borovets

The second edition of the Dr. Emil Iliev International Jazz Festival is kicking off Friday evening at Borovets resort with the Blagoevgrad Big Band, which is also marking its 30th year on stage, the organizers said. The winner from Bulgaria's Voice, Jaklin Tarakci, has been invited as a special guest. The fest is scheduled to continue until August 9.

Mihail Yossifov & The Jazz News, as well as Manal el Feyturi & VSOP are also part of the first evening show.

Renowned German jazz musicians Julian and Roman Wasserfuhr will perform in a quartet for the first time in Bulgaria. The concert of the Wasserfuhr brothers is part of August 7’s programme.

Since he was a teenager, Julian Wasserfuhr has been regarded as the best German trumpeter since Till Brunner. Together with his brother Roman, on the piano, they formed an inseparable pair, the organizers of the event added. Their quartet also includes bassist Markus Schieferdecker and Oliver Rehmann on drums.

Indian jazz sextet 4th Element will also be among the headliners of the festival, as it will perform on August 8. The Shillong-based band is the only one in Northeast India to blend funk, jazz, rhythm and blues, and soul in search of its own creative identity, the organizers pointed out.

They are inspired by bands and artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Incognito, Joe Semple, Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Randy Crawford, and The Crusaders. In some concerts, the band uses elements of traditional Indian music.

The festival will also feature the Vladigerov brothers [grandsons of legendary Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov], Zone C, Jazanitza, Vassil Petrov, Dirty Percussion; Nadia Toncheva and Brasiliado, The Jive Aces and Matt Bianco (UK), Roberto Fonseca (Cuba).