Akbank Caz Festivali

Saint Petersburg Jazz Festival 2024

Written at a very young age by Dostoyevski , one of the greatest writers not only of 19th century Russian literature but also of world literature, “The White Nights” begins when the dreamer narrator of the story wanders the streets of Saint Petersburg during the “white nights”. One of the masterpieces of the literary world, White Nights is inspired by Saint Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia, where the bright nights illuminate life itself. For a music lover like me, who is in Russia for the first time, it is like slowly opening the lid of a treasure chest both culturally and musically. A journey with different experiences hidden in each layer is waiting for me inside.

First of all, let me briefly share some general information about the Saint Petersburg Jazz Festival 2024. The festival, which was organized by the Igor Butman Foundation, with Gazprombank as the general sponsor, met art and music lovers for the first time this year. The festival team organizes festivals in many regions of Russia, has very good connections in the field of international art and has gained valuable experience in terms of culture-art and organization, especially through the Moscow Jazz Festival they have been responsible for the past 3 years. I had the chance to observe these experiences in all details within the complete organization of the festival.

The festival’s website is HERE

Yusupov Garden

During the week from July 22 to July 28, the Saint Petersburg Jazz Festival concerts took place in 6 city venues connecting the four largest districts of the city. The festival featured over 500 artists. The Saint Petersburg Jazz Festival also included open-air and philharmonic concerts, as well as an extensive educational and club program.

Apart from the very special opening and memorable closing concerts at the Saint Petersburg Academic Philharmonic, other concerts were held at open air venues such as Arts Square, Sevkabel Port, The Tauride Garden, Long Lake Park, Yusupov Garden & jazz clubs such as The Hat Bar, Etobar, Igor Butman Jazz Club and magnificent Philharmonic of Jazz Music, SMALL HALL.

 

St. Petesburg, where I have observed that jazz permeates almost every moment of life in many places, is a European city that smells of jazz. By the way, according to what I heard from the local people, this city is known as the most European-facing city in Russia. From Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, Voskresenia Khristova Cathedral to Kazan Cathedral and The Hermitage Museum, hundreds of monuments add value to St. Petersburg. With its jewel-like architectural beauty, unique city squares, countless impressive buildings including the world’s most prominent museums, Saint Petersburg is more beautiful than the popular European tourist centers Amsterdam, Copenhagen or Venice, beside much safer, friendly and much cheaper.

Voskresenia Khristova Cathedral

Despite all its beauty, Saint Petersburg is not a touristic city. You don’t come across many English directions or European or American tourists in the city. Because Russia is a self-sufficient city and Russian citizens are very eager to discover their own culture and cities. Thats why the city is not so crowded, not expensive and not dirty neighter.

During my stay in the city, I would like to say that I was very comfortable both in terms of finding taxi and using public transportation. I was able to reach almost every corner of the city by taxi or public transportation and I even had the chance to watch 2 or 3 concerts on some concert evenings, provided that they were short sets. Of course, in order to do this and get to know the city better, having a guide or an assistant who knows the city will make your job much easier. My good friend Vladislav Vishniakov, who accompanied me throughout my journey, made sure that I was informed about all the hidden cultural values of the city. He prepared alternative city routes for me and became my reliable compass during my full St. Petersburg trip. I couldn’t be more luckier

So why is this festival in St. Petersburg? In my humble opinion, there are several reasons. The world’s only Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra has been operating in St. Petersburg since 2017; one of the world’s largest jazz conferences, the Cross-Border Jazz Forum Festival, is also held in the city. In 2018, St. Petersburg was also chosen by UNESCO as the capital of the International Jazz Day celebrations, the world’s largest jazz event, in recognition of Russia’s outstanding contribution to the development of this musical genre.

There have been jazz festivals in the city in the past, many of which have not lasted long, but this was the first time that such a comprehensive and satisfying festival with such a wide selection has appeared on the streets and squares of St. Petersburg. Looking at the interest of the audience, I can see that this festival should definitely continue in the coming years.

St. Petersburg Jazz Festival is a very honest festival towards the Russian jazz audience. It has analyzed by the festival team very well that jazz lovers living in Russia, or in general, music lovers in the city, are mostly familiar with and enjoy listening to a mainstream jazz culture based on the standards that we all are familiar, and the program offers its audience a jazz feast of exactly the quality they want. Top notch musicianship in a Russian taste of diversity. There is a complete modesty in the programming and presentation of the festival. They don’t have any pretentious concerns other than creating diversity and making the audience listen to good music. Concert prices are kept as affordable as possible, some of them completely free of charge. Since the rest of the world is or has been cut off from the rest of the world for different reasons, the majority of the musicians participating in the festival were Russian-speaking musicians who knew the culture. The brightest stars of the festival were rock star Evgeny Margulis, who took Russian music lovers back to their youth, Russia’s best-known opera singer Ildar Abdrazakov and Russia’s popular music diva Larisa Dolina.

Ildar Abdrazakov / Larisa Dolina / Evgeny Margulis

Among the musicians performing at the festival, all musicians were from Russia and neighboring countries except Gonzalo Rubalcaba, one of the world’s best jazz pianists, and Akra Jazz Band and Cenk Erdoğan, the Turkish jazz national team, who were in Russia for a friendly match ( it s a common joke in Turkey ), with the support of Akra Hotels, which has made endless contributions to jazz music performed in Turkey.

Cenk Erdoğan & Akra Jazz Band

Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra

My St. Petersburg Jazz Festival marathon started with the concert of Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra at the magnificent St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic Concert Hall on July 22nd. Described by the Times newspaper as “undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest living musicians”, Yuri Bashmet is an artist who has brought the viola to the forefront of the music world thanks to his virtuosity, strong personality and high intelligence. Bashmet is also a fan of British rock music and is known for his political discussion programs on Russian television. The string orchestra under Bashmet’s command played a duel with the Moscow Jazz Orchestra conducted by Igor Butman. The laughter-inducing jokes between the enormous solo scores made the concert an unforgettable experience.

Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra

 

Let me open a parenthesis for Igor Butman here. Butman is a real music hero for Russian music lovers. He is incredibly popular and receives standing ovations at every concert. Although he has established himself on the world jazz scene, he fulfills his mission as a jazz messenger in his homeland. In addition to his jaw-dropping virtuosity, impressive arrangements and masterful conducting, he is a jazz legend who is very fatherly and humble as a human being and is highly respected and loved by the musicians he works with, his teammates and members of the press. You can immediately observe that he loves music in real meaning, both on stage and when you listen to his bandmates perform. His altruistic and welcoming behavior impresses me and I hope it also impresses the jazz community in my country. As I watch Butman on stage, on duty, I am reminded of Atatürk’s quote “Who loves his homeland the most is the one who does his duty the best”. Butman loves his homeland very much and with his music, he presents his countrymen with both a beautiful festival and a happiness that can be seen in the eyes. When I observe Igor Butman, who gladly does his duty and is loved like undeniable a musical hero in Russia, where I am 2000 kilometers away from Turkey, I understand the meaning of this saying even better.

Igor Butman

Immediately after the concert I visited The Hat, a jazz bar on Belinsky restaurant street. It’s a small jazz club where you can listen to good improvisations. There was an audience of youngers listening to young generation jazz musicians. I must admit that it was one of the most enjoyable jam sessions I have ever seen. I highly recommend you to visit The Hat.

Jazzirama / Anya Chipovskaya and the Oleg Lundstrom State Chamber Orchestra of Jazz Music / Evgeny Margulis

On the evening of July 23rd, I was at the Yusupov Garden concert venue on the Fontanka River, an open-air park that transforms a large lakeside park into a concert venue. Merchandise areas were set up at the entrance of the area, food and beverage sales areas on the left and right roads leading to the concert area, and music lovers lounging on beanbag chairs on the grass in the middle could watch the stage. The night started with the exquisite performance of Jazzirama, a fusion jazz and folk band from Uzbekistan. They were making a kind of avantgarde jazz and more folk and fusion elements. And continued with a concert by actress and vocalist Anya Chipovskaya accompanied by The Oleg Lundstrom State Chamber Orchestra of Jazz Music, one of the longest continuous music ensembles in the Guinness Book of Records. The finale of the night was a musical time travel with Evgeny Margulis, one of Russia’s most experienced rock stars.

Anya Chipovskaya

 

Akra Jazz Band & Cenk Erdoğan

Cenk Erdoğan & Akra Jazz Band / Ildar Abdrazakov, Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra

July 24 was one of the most valuable evenings of the festival for me. Igor Butman Jazz Club, one of the most prestigious jazz clubs in Europe located on the banks of the Griboyedov Canal that is very close to Voskresenia Khristova Church, hosted Akra Jazz Band, led by guitarist Cenk Erdoğan and consisting of Ekin Cengizkan, Ozan Çelikel, Baran Say, Engin Recepoğulları and Barış Doğukan Yazıcı. The night, which was organized with the contributions of Akra Hotels, which continues to support the promotion of Turkish jazz abroad, was a night of jazz standards and jazz arrangements of the works of important composers of Turkish music, as well as the own compositions of Cenk Erdoğan, one of the most genuine musicians of Turkish jazz. Later in the night, Ildar Abdrazakov and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Igor Butman received applause for a long time in one of the magnificent concerts of the festival, this time again at Yusupov Garden.

Zelimkhan Zarmaev / Elena Moiseenko / Kadir Dursun

Alina Engibaryan Quintet / Juan Horlendis / Valeriy Stepanov Fusion Project

On the evening of July 25th, Alina Engibaryan and her ensemble performed in a public concert at Arts Square, where the statue of Pushkin is located. After I listened to the first part of the concert, I went to The Tauride Garden to catch the other concerts. On stage, Cuban bassist Juan Horlendis danced with Afro-Cuban rhythms to the Russian music lovers who filled the open-air space for the free event. Valeriy Stepanov Fusion Project took the stage next, this time with a performance that was very close to the musical language that has been on the rise since the 70s and is still performed by Herbie Hancock from time to time, with plenty of improvisation and virtuosity. I ended the night at Yusupov Garden again, this time listening to Russian pop diva Larisa Dolina and Oleg Akuratov. At this point, I would like to underline the name of Oleg Akuratov, the shining star of Russian jazz, the talent of Russian jazz. Please take note of this name, because you will come across this name very often in the years to come.

Alina Engibaryan Quintet at Arts Square with the statue of Pushkin

 

Juan Horlendis @ The Tauride Garden

Svetlana Zhavoronkova & Secret Atelier

On the evening of 26 July, I attended a musical event, this time outside the festival program. A jazz boat sailing on the Neva River, Saint Petersburg’s main river line, gave me the chance to explore St. Petersburg’s most beautiful line with a first-class jazz orchestra. On stage was Gasan Bagirov and his orchestra, one of the hardest working guitarists in St Petersburg, as I learned. Bagirov and his band members were the architects of a joyful journey with their repertoire of jazz standards. After the trip, this time I was at the Svetlana Zhavoronkova & Secret Atelier concert in Sevkabel Port. The concert chosen for Sevkabel Port, which is on the banks of the Neva River, far from the center and mostly preferred by young people for entertainment, was literally magnificent in terms of venue and music. The sound was completely incredible and the catchiness of the music was surprisingly good.

 

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

July 27th was one of the most important evenings of the festival. Grammy award winner Gonzalo Rubalcaba, one of the best pianists in the world and the brightest star of Afro-Cuban jazz, was at the solo piano with a repertoire of songs from his 2023 album Borrowed Roses. Rubalcaba was at the pinnacle of improvisational piano art with his lyrical performance and rare improvisational skills. After the concert, Rubalcaba stopped by Igor Butman Jazz Club and performed a short jam session with the musicians performing at the club. Participating in a jam session at a jazz club after the concert and sweating on stage for a short while is a ritual that is at the core of the jazz tradition.

 

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

David Goloshchekin Sextet /  Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra with Hibla Gerzmava

The final evening of the festival ended with a concert worthy of the festival’s beauty. The night, which began with a concert by David Goloshchekin, a monumental name in Russian jazz, mesmerized everyone with his violin at the St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic, ended with a concert by Igor Butman, the creator of the festival, and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra. The orchestra was accompanied by opera singer Hibla Gerzmava with her mesmerizing voice.

Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra with Hibla Gerzmava

After the concert, the closing event hosted by Butman at Igor Butman Jazz Club featured hours of jazz improvisational performances by members of the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, Gasan Bagirov, Sanjar Nakifov, Hibla Gerzmava, Vera Landar, Vladimir Volkov, Andrey Kondakov and many other musicians. The success of the festival was celebrated among the musician friends who performed at the festival.

At the end of a week full of jazz, history, city life and social life experiences in Saint Petersburg, I returned to Turkey having experienced one of the most satisfying jazz festivals in terms of content and enjoyment. I would like to personally thank to Igor Butman, Elena Moiseenko, Ilvisha Iakhina, Roman Khristyuk and all the festival staff for their enormous help and hospitality. See you next year I hope.

I recommend visiting Saint Petersburg to all culture and art enthusiasts for as life experience that will probably change their lives.

Igor Butman

 

Burak Sülünbaz

Co-Founder, Jazz Writer // Kurucu Ortak, Caz Yazarı

Burak Sülünbaz 'in 216 yazısı var ve artmaya devam ediyor.. Burak Sülünbaz ait tüm yazıları gör

Bir yanıt yazın

E-posta adresiniz yayınlanmayacak. Gerekli alanlar * ile işaretlenmişlerdir