site.btaA to JazZ Festival to Feature Artists from Four Continents

The International A to JazZ Festival in Sofia from July 4 to 7 will feature over 30 artists from four continents, the festival management said on Thursday. Original jazz pieces from the United States, France, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, Congo, Benin, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Turkiye, Greece and China, among other countries, will be performed in South Park 2.

The Bulgarian highlights are Postcard, Novinite v Jaza ft. Mihail Yosifov, and the Frantik Zen Fusion Project (with members from Bulgaria and Spain).

Visitors to the park will be treated to full-day activities, including a traditional art zone involving more artists and exhibitors than ever before, art installations inspired by urban culture, children's music education meetings, sport events held to the sound of jazz music, and the proverbial jam sessions at the Toplocentrala Centre for Contemporary Arts.

The opening day, July 4, will offer a showcase of talent. The artists in this section were selected from among 200 candidates in 29 countries. The performers will include the Polish group Chrust, whose music is based on contemporary ethnic themes, the Sinafi female trio from Istanbul, Bulgarian folk jazz saxophonist Alexander Mihailov, Portuguese guitarist Manel Ferreira, Belgian dub, groove and jazz band Kosmo Sound, and Beninese-born French musician Serge Ananou with his African-style music with blues and funk elements to it.

The July 5 headliners, the McCoy Tyner Legends, are a tribute act for pianist McCoy Tyner. The act comprises Antonio Farao (piano), Chico Freeman (saxophone), Steve Turre (trombone), Avery Sharpe (double bass) and Ronnie Burrage (drums). The headliner on July 6 will be French singer Cyrille Aimee, who was raised with the music of the Django Reinhardt Festival. She will promote her most recent album. The last night of the festival on July 7 will be closed by Knower, a fiery American duo who are at the forefront of a new musical movement in Los Angeles. The duo consists of Grammy-nominated drummer and producer Louis Cole and singer Genevieve Artadi. They will appear in an extended format with four other musicians.