Vilnius oldest jazz festival is a great town's tradition and every jazz fan's autumn eve. As usually, avant-garde jazz oriented program didn't change much this year, at least from first announced participators list. Great surprise is re-vitalized Art Ensemble of Chicago gig - with some original members and young rising stars on board as well.

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Tommy Got Waxed (Netherlands-Lithuania)

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Hermia-Ceccaldi-Darrifourcq (Belgium-France)
The Art Ensemble of Chicago - 50th Anniversary (USA)

Buy ticket

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio feat. Alexander von Schlippenbach (Portugal-Germany)

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

TBA

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Murray / Håker Flaten / Nilssen-Love (USA-Norway)

more great news :

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Sun Ra Arkestra (USA)

Buy ticket

Honoring the 95th Birthday of Marshall Allen and the 105th anniversary of Sun Ra’s arrival on Planet Earth. 200 Years Space Jubilee!

so,it looks that the program is mostly confirmed

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Tommy Got Waxed (Netherlands-Lithuania)
Sofia Rei & JC Maillard (Argentina-USA)

Buy ticket

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Hermia-Ceccaldi-Darrifourcq (Belgium-France)
The Art Ensemble of Chicago - 50th Anniversary (USA)

Buy ticket

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Ganelin-Vyšniauskas-Pashkevich-Gotesman (Israel-Latvia-Lithuania)
Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio feat. Alexander von Schlippenbach (Portugal-Germany)

Buy ticket

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Sun Ra Arkestra (USA)

Buy ticket

15:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

???????????????

19:00 - Russian Drama Theatre (J.Basanavičius str. 13, Vilnius)

Murray – Håker Flaten – Nilssen-Love (USA-Norway)

Buy ticket

On October 16-20 the Lithuanian capital Vilnius will host the 32nd International Contemporary Jazz and Improvised Music Festival Vilnius Jazz. It is one of the oldest jazz festivals in Lithuania and the only one introducing the audiences to the world’s most interesting examples of contemporary jazz and the formers of its aesthetic.

Established in 1987, at the wake of anti-Soviet movement in the country, the festival responded to the thirst for rebellious and free music, and, together with the country, experienced the euphoric rush of freedom, as well as withstood any difficulties that came with it.

In over 30 years of its existence, Vilnius Jazz has introduced many coryphées of the world’s improvised music, contemporary jazz and Japanese jazz elite to Lithuanian jazz aficionados. Moreover, it came to be a nurturer of the traditions of Vilnius jazz school, stemming from Ganelin-Tarasov-Chekasin Trio, through a dedicated focus on its new exponents.

This year the festival will present performances of the avant-garde jazz pioneers: “The Art Ensemble of Chicago” and “Sun Ra Arkestra” from the USA. New York-based musicians Sofia Rei, an Argentinean vocalist, and JC Maillard, a multi-instrumentalist and composer of French heritage, will interpret compositions from The Book Beriah, the third book of John Zorn’s Masada cycle.

One of the foremost jazz saxophonists of all times American David Murray will introduce a project with a striking Norwegian rhythm tandem – double bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love from “The Thing” Trio.

Saxophonist Rodrigo Amado and his “Motion Trio”, the flagmen of Portuguese jazz, will team up with the legendary free jazz pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. And on top of that, the audience will meet the inventive French trio Hermia-Ceccaldi-Darrifourcq, and also joined projects of Lithuanian, Dutch, Norwegian and Latvian improvised music luminaries.

Along with this year’s nine international and two Lithuanian projects, for the fourteenth year in a row, the festival organises Vilnius Jazz Young Power competition for young jazz talents. The competition jury rates the participants’ original compositions, and the finals of the competition fall into Vilnius Jazz’ main program.