site.btaThe Legacy of "Dr Jazz": Two Festivals Instead of One

When Covid-19 claimed Dr Emil Iliev in November 2020, the well-known dermatologist and acupuncturist left behind hundreds of grateful patients and the project of his life: the International Jazz Festival in Bansko (Mt Pirin, Southwestern Bulgaria).

Since its inception in 1998, the annual event was hosted by the mountain resort town in the course of 23 years. It attracted global stars from dozens of countries: Solomon Burke, Joss Stone, Candy Dulfer, the Incognito band, Benny Golson, Bianca Morales, Uros Peric, Mungo Jerry, Igor Butman, Tania Maria, Ana Moura, the Balkan Horses band, and Bulgarian celebrities Milcho Leviev, Yildiz Ibrahimova, Camellia Todorova, Vassil Petrov, Vili and Hilda Kazasyan, Theodosii Spassov, Mihail Yossifov, and even Lili Ivanova, who had never sung jazz during her career. Small wonder the fest gained a devoted fandom and established itself as one of Bulgaria's major cultural achievements. Admission to the outdoor performances was free. The local hospitality industry cashed in.

Then, a dispute over Dr Iliev's intellectual property broke out between his family and the Bansko local government. The doctor's widow, Dr Tatyana Valova-Ilieva, argued that the rights belonged to her husband's company and she was the rightful heir. Town Hall claimed that the festival belonged to them as they had sponsored and co-organized it since 2008 while four mayors cutting across the political spectrum were in office. Amidst that turmoil, the 24th edition did take place in Bansko in 2021 despite Dr Ilieva's refusal to let the municipality take advantage of her husband's name and legacy.

Borovets

Ultimately, the Iliev family decided to relocate the event to another winter resort - Borovets in Mt Rila, near Samokov in the same part of the country. To honour its founder, the fest was named Dr Emil Iliev International Jazz Festival. Borovets hosted it for the first time in the summer of 2022, and No. 27 will take place there between August 2 and 7, 2024.

"When something is held for a first time, this is a beginning. When held for a second time, this is a repeat, and when held for a third time, this is already a tradition," Dr Tatyana Ilieva, who is director of the festival, told a news conference at the BTA National Press Club in late June.

"When the festival moved to Borovets, this was a jolt because it had built a tradition," Assoc. Prof. Georgi Lozanov, Head of the BTA Culture, Science and Education (LIK) Directorate, told the same news conference. "But, in the final analysis, this is proving to be a privilege because a substantial part of the festival's audience down the years has been from Sofia. The change of venue to Bansko actually brought it closer to that audience," he commented.

Sofia is 150 km south of Sofia, and Borovets just 70 km.

The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) Big Band under Antoni Donchev will play on the opening night in front of the Rila Hotel on Friday, with Vassil Petrov and 16-year-old Valeria Stoyanova as soloists. They will be followed by Keubitbit from Indonesia and Lina from Portugal. The Bulgarian-Polish Konstantin Kostov Trio will start the proceedings on Saturday, ahead of the Bingo Symphony Orchestra from Bulgaria. Sunday will see and hear music from Bulgaria's 5/4 Tango Ensemble (established by pianist Ludmil Angelov) and Ire Vazques & Los Paris (Cuba/Bulgaria). On Monday, it's the turn of Jeremy? from Bulgaria, the Swedish-Danish Jacob Karlzon Trio, and Canada's Shuffle Demons. The three fixtures on the programme for Tuesday are Noise Linguistix from Bulgaria, Hungary's Parniczky Quartet, Belgium's Just Vox, who sound like a full jazz band, impersonating guitar, bass, trumpet, keyboards and vocal percussions. The closing night on Wednesday will feature the Kornazov/Dupas Quartet (Bulgaria/France), Jive Aces and soloists, and Britain's Laura B & Alan Power.

On the sidelines, there will be jam sessions at the hotel's piano bar, a summer jazz academy for children, book launches and personality presentations.

Bansko

Not to be outdone by the competition and endeavouring to live up to its long-standing reputation as Bulgaria's jazz capital, Bansko is holding its own Jazz Festival between August 3 and 10, 2024.

As many as 135 performers from 18 countries will give 24 concerts on the festival's big stage in the town's central square, and the daytime stages in the park will host 21 concerts by 45 participants from three countries. The programme also includes 18 international, four joint, and five Bulgarian projects.

Bulgarian stars will open the event on Saturday: Camellia Todorova, Vassil Petrov, and the National Academy of Music Big Band led by Mihail Yossifov. Next, the Michel Sajrawy Trio from Israel will combine Western jazz with Middle East beats. The night will end with Jason Miles Lizbon Electric 4Tet (US/Portugal). Sunday will start with the quartet of Istanbul-based singer, composer and educator Ceren Temel, before a performance titled Eastern Passage by a Bulgarian quartet starring Assen Doykin and Vladimir Karparov. Nigerian/UK saxophonist Camilla George will play at the end of that night. Monday's programme features Anna Arco from Sweden and two US bands: the Peter Bernstein Quartet and the Emmet Cohen Trio. Tuesday will present The Storytellers (Cenk Erdogan from Turkiye and Antonio Forcione from Italy), a Swiss-Greek-Bulgarian formation called Eastern Eye (Marc Halbheer, Yiotis Kiourtsoglou, Pantelis Stoikos, and Antoni Donchev), and Albania's AJS Quartet (Gent Rushi, Ermal Rodi, Emiljan Dhimo, Ron Gjura). Dimitar Liolev's Modern Tiny Wind Orchestra (Bulgaria) will open Wednesday's proceedings, to be followed by Austria's Sketchbook Quartet and Bulgaria's Yo-Yo (Yotsov-Yotsov) Band. The Bulgarian-Canadian band Spectrum & Freeplay A Cappella will perform on August 8, ahead of centennial celebration of Sarah Vaughan by Vicky Almazidou (Greece-Bulgaria), and Mirla Riomar of Brasil. On the following day, Slovenia's Zhlehtet will play before the Theodosii Spassov Jazz Quartet (Bulgaria/Luxembourg/Switzerland) and the Cinzia Tedesco Quartet of Italy. Performances scheduled for the last day of the festival, August 10, are by Indonesia's Vertigong, US trumpeter Theo Croker, and Alune Wade of Senegal/France.

A workshop supported by the National Culture Fund will set the beginning of a Jazz Alley, an unfulfilled dream of Dr Iliev, with sculptures made of natural materials to pay tribute to Bulgaria's most outstanding jazz artists from the 1940s to the present day. The works will be located in the centre of Bansko and will become part of the town's identity.

Other sideline events include a Bansko Jazz Academy, afternoon jam sessions, Jazz in the City, Jazz BBQ, and Meet the Audience.

BTA is a media partner of both festivals.

The bottom line? The "war of Dr Jazz's succession" (as he was referred to in the title of a 2022 biography written by his wife) resulted in two festivals instead of one. One more opportunity for top-class international performers to delight their audience. One more opportunity for jazz lovers to enjoy their favourite music. Dr Emil Iliev couldn't be happier...