Balgarianovinite.com The eighth Jam on the River International Music and Arts Festival closed with a concert by Antoni Donchev’s All-Star Big Band in Debnevo on Saturday. Organizers said the four-day event drew about 23,000 people.
Some of Bulgaria’s leading jazz musicians, including saxophonist Dimitar Lyolev, trumpeter Mihail Yossifov and trombonist Vladislav Michev, performed under Donchev’s baton. Festival founder and Troyan Deputy Mayor Veronika Todorova and kaval player Vladimir Velichkov were the soloists.
For the Debnevo concert, Donchev presented a programme consisting mainly of contemporary European music. Some pieces were written by members of the All-Star Big Band, while the rest were works by established European composers. The programme also featured the jazz standards Birdland by composer Joe Zawinul, written for Weather Report, and Caravan, one of the genre’s signature works, associated with bandleader Duke Ellington.
The evening opened with a concert by Velichkov’s quartet, featuring bassist Alexander Lekov, pianist Yordan Tonovski and drummer Alexander Kamenov. Todorova joined as a special guest. The musicians performed a programme inspired by Bulgarian folklore and contemporary global influences.
The concert brought the eighth edition of Jam on the River to a close after four days of Bulgarian and international performers, exhibitions, art initiatives and creative workshops in Debnevo.
Seven concerts were presented from July 29 to August 1 on festival stages by the Vidima River, in the courtyard of St Petka Church, at Ivan Vazov Primary School and beneath Kamen Bridge. The opening night featured musical improvisations by handpan player Matey Vakavliev and saxophonist Ivo Vakavliev, as well as a concert by the Sofia Glavopoulou Quartet combining Greek folk music and jazz. The second day ended with Harp Beyond Borders, performed by Bulgarian-French harpist, singer and composer Rossitza Milevska, double bassist Mihail Ivanov and drummer Atanas Popov. On July 31, the programme featured Eva Quartet, formed 30 years ago by soloists from The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, and international group Lind·Froot.
The festival also offered art workshops, a handmade-goods market, a gourmet area showcasing local producers, and games and entertainment for its youngest visitors.
The concerts drew about 23,000 visitors from Bulgaria and abroad over the four evenings, the organizers told BTA.
Alongside the concerts, visitors could see four exhibitions: Fest Cultural Salon at Ivan Vazov Primary School in Debnevo; On the Wings of Faith in the courtyard of St Petka Church; art installations beneath Kamen Bridge, created during the first Debnevo Art Residency; and photographer Vladimir Karamazov’s In Their Place at the National Exhibition of Arts and Crafts in Oreshak.
The eighth edition brought the festival closer to its original ambition of becoming an international event of high artistic quality presenting music and other art forms, Todorova told BTA after it ended.
“I believe the eighth edition is now an established example of what determination and a clear vision can achieve in developing cultural events and forums of this kind. I can now say we are very close to the dream I had in 2018, to create an international festival presenting world-class art, not only music,” Todorova said.
Todorova said this year’s edition broadened its artistic scope with exhibitions featuring international participation that complemented the traditional concert programme.
Todorova said she relied on her intuition and years of professional experience as a musician when selecting participants. “We choose the most exciting artists through that intuition, my sense of what our audience expects and my experience as a performer and soloist,” Todorova said.
Todorova said it was no coincidence that Donchev’s All-Star Big Band project, created especially for Jam on the River, closed the festival. She described Donchev as one of the leading names on Bulgaria’s music scene and said she had long dreamed of presenting his work to the festival audience.
New features at the eighth edition included the Debnevo Art Residency, the stage beneath Kamen Bridge and the exhibition in the gym at Ivan Vazov Primary School. Todorova said the initiatives were well received and would continue to develop. “I believe this gives our guests a chance to discover the hidden gems of smaller communities,” Todorova said.
The art residency will remain part of next year’s programme, with organizers inviting both returning and new artists. The exhibitions will also continue and expand.
Preparations for the next edition have already begun, and musicians have shown exceptionally strong interest, Todorova said. “Last night alone, after the concert, I received more than 20 proposals from various highly accomplished Bulgarian groups eager to take part. In a single evening, we could fill the programmes for the next three editions,” Todorova said.
Todorova said stable funding would also be needed to deliver the festival’s future plans.
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