Central Romania: Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival to take place in August
<p>The 2024 <em>Brașov Jazz &amp; Blues Festival</em> will take place over four days, between August 15 and August 18, featuring more than 30 concerts, over 100 artists from around the world, and more than 20 films screened across nine locations.</p>
<p>For the first time in Romania, Sugar Ray &amp; The Bluetones feat. Rusty Zinn (USA) and Monster Mike Welch (USA) will perform on the main stage, located in Piața Sf. Ioan in Brașov, where entry is based on tickets or passes.</p>
<p>They will be joined by King King from Scotland, Black Cat Biscuit from Belgium, and the Umberto Porcaro Band from Italy. </p>
<p>Beloved by the Brașov audience, Sharrie Williams will return to the festival’s main stage, along with renowned German trumpeter and composer Markus Stockhausen and the charismatic Cuban artist Ana Carla Maza.</p>
<p>For the first time, Brașov Jazz &amp; Blues Festival will open a new stage, the Apollonia Stage, in partnership with the Apollonia Cultural Center, located at Cetățuia de pe Strajă in Brașov, with free entry. The British group Hidden Orchestra will perform on this stage, joined by Elias D’hooge Trio (Belgium), CaboCubaJazz (Germany/Cuba), Piotr Budniak Essential Group (Poland), and Mehdi Chamma Group (Austria/Morocco/Romania). There will also be a special concert featuring friends Nicu Patoi &amp; Lars Kutschke Band feat. Berti Barbera.</p>
<p>The festival will also set up a stage in Piața Sfatului in Brașov for local artists, where Fernet Blues Company, Fusion Core, Maya Ciosa, and Watzzy &amp; The Watzaky Doodle Pigeons will perform. </p>
<p>The festival’s program is rounded out with activities and workshops for children, outdoor film screenings, musical workshops, documentaries, and concerts in Parcul Central Nicolae Titulescu.</p>
<p>During the day, the stage in Parcul Central Nicolae Titulescu will host students and musical workshops conducted by the Soundbox Music Academy, while in the evening, the public will enjoy concerts featuring Berti Barbera, Mariano Castro, Alexandra Fits, and Marcian Petrescu. The second stage in Parcul Central Nicolae Titulescu is a DJ stage, supported by Aftăr Hours.</p>
<p>The Bate Toba - The Drummers’ Meeting will take place Piața Sfatului and “The Guitar Gathering” in Parcul Central, organized in collaboration with Soundbox Music Academy.</p>
<p>At the same time, Piața Brassai de După Ziduri will transform into an open-air cinema, where documentary and musical films will be shown on a large screen. Films about and starring David Bowie, Bob Marley, Queen, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, and Amy Winehouse will be featured.</p>
<p>JUNO Wine Garden will host another stage of the Brașov Jazz &amp; Blues Festival this year. Anamaria Galea Trio will perform a concert of Romanian interwar and post-war music, and Berti Barbera and Nicu Patoi will pay tribute to The Beatles.</p>
<p>Cartier Coresi, the most modern neighborhood in Brașov and the largest urban regeneration project in Romania, will join the festival for the first time this year. Concerts by Burzenländer Blaskapelle, Fanfara Țara Bârsei, and 4Tune Quartet will be held here, along with two improvisational music and dance performances by Swing Dance Academy.</p>
<p>The festival nights will be spent at Deanes Irish Pub, where participants can watch the festival’s artists at magical jam sessions with the resident band, Lars Kutschke Band.</p>
<p>On the final day of the festival, August 18, the public can enjoy a Gospel concert by the Gospel Rockin’ Blues Princess – Sharrie Williams (USA) – at the Fortified Church in Bod.</p>
<p>The full festival program is available at <a href="http://www.brasovjazz.ro">www.brasovjazz.ro</a>, and tickets or passes can be purchased exclusively at <a href="http://www.biletebrasov.ro">www.biletebrasov.ro</a>.</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: press release)</em></p>