Jazz it up in April!
April is not just any month, it is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), at the end of which, on the 30th, we also celebrate International Jazz Day. That being said, you immediately run out of excuses to not jazz it up at least once this month.
Jazz Appreciation Month was created at the National Museum of American History in America in 2001 to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz: to study the music, listen to it, attend concerts, etc.
We gladly help you with this last point. Below you can find the jazz festivals on FestivalFinder.eu taking place this month.
Jazz Appreciation Month 2022
This year, JAM will be exploring the crosspollination of Afro-Caribbean music and jazz leading into the formation of Latin jazz. One of the iconic figures recognised in the Afro-Caribbean music tradition and a name that continues to stand out in Latin jazz, is Israel “Cachao” López, a bassist, bandleader, composer, and co-creator of mambo. Mambo is a music style invented by speeding up the traditional Cuban dance music danzón by inserting a swing to it.
International Jazz Day 30 April
To celebrate International Jazz Day, you can join the worldwide celebration and register your event taking place on 30 April for free on jazzday.com. This website also compiles all the registered events for the occasion, what are you waiting for?
© Israel "Cachao" López photograph courtesy of Tom Ehrlich, picture: website
Jazz Festivals on FestivalFinder.eu
Riga Jazz Stage 2022
7 - 9 April 2022
For the 13th time, Riga Jazz Stage will take place at the Splendid Palace cinema in Riga. The combination of rising jazz talents from different countries and a prominent international jury, makes sure the festival is marked on the world map.
This year's special guest will be the renowned composer, singer and drummer from the United States, Jamison Ross. As a winner of Thelonious Monk competition and Grammy Award nominee he will take part in the jury, lead a workshop and perform on 9 April.
Learn more about the festival.
Picture: website
Lunalia
23 April - 8 May 2022
Festival of Flanders Mechelen’s spring festival, Lunalia, is entirely devoted to this year’s theme in the city: Blazing Silence. Its motto is The rest is silence, Hamlet’s famous last words in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name.
Lunalia will present more than 25 concerts, two music theatre productions, various workshops, moon rituals, and much more in the city centre.
Picture: Facebook
Tallinn International Festival Jazzkaar
24 April - 1 May 2022
Tallinn International Festival Jazzkaar is the biggest jazz festival of the Baltic states and the most visited festival in Estonia. In the past, 3000 foreign artists from 60 countries have already performed here.
Keeping this in mind and knowing that the Estonian music industry chose Jazzkaar 2015 as the best music festival in Estonia, you can be sure to be spoiled at the festival.
Picture: Facebook
Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon
29 April - 1 May 2022
Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon is a annual international festival for jazz, improvised music and contemporary composed music. This year, the festival celebrates its 36th edition. 31 musicians from different parts of the world will perform their pieces on the jazz studio stage.
Once again it will be a colorful mix of creative approaches, where the acoustic stands next to electronics, the written next to the improvised. In addition to the concert programme, there is an exhibition of works by the sculptor Gabriele Berger in the Jazzatelier gallery rooms.
Picture: website
