Bratislava Jazz Days (''BJD'') is a festival of modern

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, taking place in Bratislava (

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

), usually at

Park kultúry a oddychu Park kultúry a oddychu abbreviated PKO ( en, Park of Culture and Relaxation) and in the past commonly referred to as ''Pekáč'' was a complex of buildings in Bratislava, Slovakia on the Bratislava Riverfront by the Danube, built in 1954 and de ...

(Hall of the Culture and Leisure Park). In 2014, it was its 40th edition. The festival was founded in 1975 by amateur jazz enthusiasts, most notably

Peter Lipa Peter Lipa (born May 30, 1943) is a Slovak singer, composer, and promoter of jazz. He has been called the Father of Slovak Jazz. Lipa is regarded as the most significant figure in the Slovak jazz scene. He developed a unique vocal style that ...

, and later developed into a festival attended by world-class jazz players. During the first years of existence, only the bands from

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

and nearby

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

states ( Eastern Bloc) attended the festival. It was in the year 1977, the 3rd edition of BJD, when the festival was attended by musicians from

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

- Retuperä band from

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and Weiden trio from

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. In 1979, Bratislava Jazz Days welcomed their first American musician - the

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

Lee Harper Lee Charles Philip Harper (born 30 October 1971) is an English former footballer, and manager who played as a goalkeeper. He notably played for Queens Park Rangers. Although he spent 3 years at Arsenal, he only played 1 game for that club. Aft ...

. In 1982, first internationally well-known jazz player attend the festival - guitarist and harmonica player Jean "Toots" Thielemans and in 1983 another jazz stars - guitarist Larry Coryell and drummer Jack De Johnette with his band Special Edition. The festival became an assorted exhibition of

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

and international jazz. There have been 10 double- LP series of live recordings from the Bratislava Jazz Days festival 1976–1989, recorded by the

Radio Bratislava and released by Opus.

References

{{Reflist

External links

official Bratislava Jazz Days website
Jazz festivals in Slovakia