The summer season in Georgia is rich in cultural and entertaining events taking place across the country. The Black Sea Jazz Festival, annually organized by Eastern Promotions and TBC Status, is one of the pioneer outdoor events, taking place in Batumi Seaside Resort and bringing together the world’s most acclaimed artists from different genres.
The Black Sea Jazz Festival has become one of the leading events in Georgia, significant for both the economic and tourism development of the country. This year, Batumi is to host the 13th Jazz Festival from July 18 - 20. The concerts will take place in the Batumi Tennis Club. The lineup is as follows:
July 18 - CORY HENRY & The Funk Apostles (USA), July 19 – MOKUMOKU (Geo) and (AMP FIDDLER ft.: special guest Drummer From Detroit (USA), July 20 - (INCOGNITO (UK)). The official resident of the festival is DJ Davita Machaidze, known by the stage name DJ. MACHAIDZE.
At different times, the Black Sea Festival has hosted such big names as HUGH MASEKELA, SERGIO MENDES , TANIA MARIA QUARTET, LISA STANSFIELD, SNOOP DOGG, AL JARREAU, MACY GRAY, JAMIROQUAI, Ms. LAURYN HILL, ROBERT PLANT and even THE PRODIGY: historic days for the festival.
Giorgi Kereselidze, Director of Eastern Promotions and organizer of the Festival, talked to GEORGIA TODAY about this year’s program and performers:
“As always, this year we aim to offer the audience an interesting and varied program. Over the years, the Black Sea Jazz Festival has become ever more diverse. We always try to include “happy” music in our program, since this is what holidaymakers need and expect when they come to the seaside. We do our best to meet their needs and provide quality positive music to guarantee them a good time. While Tbilisi Jazz Festival is more conservative and is where jazz enthusiasts can enjoy relatively serious jazz music, the Batumi Black Sea Jazz Festival is more fun, incorporating various genres like rock, funk, electronic music, soul and hip hop. The concerts last longer, and after performances guests can stay and dance until late,” he told us, adding that currently their aim is to stick to this format and expand it even more.
“This year’s program is energetic, diverse and fun. We were eager to invite Corny Henry to perform in Georgia. He has become one of the top-most acclaimed musicians in demand, so has a very busy schedule. Luckily, he was free on July 18, so we planned the entire program around this date. He will open the festival with his group The Funk Apostles. The next day we have two more amazing performances. On July 19, we present a very interesting Georgian musical group MokuMoku, that is made up of young gifted musicians. I think through a good marketing strategy they can go beyond the borders and perform at international festivals in different countries. Although it is difficult to enter and establish oneself on the international stage, their music is so good and different that I think it is achievable. The second performer that day is an American musician AMP FIDDLER, who is notable for his innovative approaches to music. He has very distinctive projects, I have attended two of them and I was impressed. He feels the audience and knows how to direct his music. The Georgian audience is so energetic and expressive that the artist will feel it and we hope that evening will be unforgettable. On July 20, the festival closes with legendary British group Incognito on its jubilee tour, and we are happy to have put Georgia on that list. Every evening, the concerts will be followed by DJ sets which sometimes go on till sunrise. Jam sessions are no novelty at the festival, as well as the participation of many interesting local musicians,” the festival organizer said.
Program Black Sea Jazz Festival 2019
CORY HENRY & The Funk Apostles (USA)
Cory Henry is an American jazz pianist, gospel musician, music producer and Grammy Award holder who started his music career in 2006 by touring with various mainstream and gospel artists such as (Snarky Puppy, Michael McDonald, P. Diddy, Boyz II Men, Kenny Garrett, The Roots, Israel Houghton, Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, and Yolanda Adams). Over the course of his career, Henry has released three albums, Gotcha Now Doc (2012), First Steps (2014), and The Revival (2016), that very soon charted on the Billboard charts. His songs have charted on the Top Gospel Albums and Top Jazz Albums.
AMP FIDDLER ft.: Drummer From Detroit (USA)
Joseph Anthony "Amp" Fiddler is an American singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. His musical styles include funk, soul, dance and electronica music. Since the 80s, Amp is considered one of the leading funk performers. He has collaborated with a number of celebrated artists including Pri Fiddler, George Clinton, Moodymann, Stephanie McKay, Jamiroquai, and Prince.
Within the frames of the Black Sea Jazz Festival, the artist will present his new project AMP FIDDLER ft.: Drummer From Detroit. He will perform together with his old friend Andrés known as ‘Drummer From Detroit’. Since the 1990s, he has been creating funk music, incorporating hip hop and other music genres.
INCOGNITO
Incognito is a British acid jazz band. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981. Since then, for over 40 years the band members have released more than 15 albums. The band members have changed time to time, yet Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick, the band's leader, singer, guitarist, composer, and record producer, has remained. The band has featured Linda Muriel, Jocelyn Brown, Maysa Leak, Tony Momrelle, Imaani, Vanessa Haynes, Mo Brandis, Natalie Williams, Carleen Anderson, Pamela (PY) Anderson, Kelli Sae, and Joy Malcolm.
MOKUMOKU
The group was established in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2014. Their music embraces elements of hip hop, jazz and funk. To date, the band has released three albums: Blues Build The Temple (2015), Black Heaven (2017), Chicago Marinade (2019) and several singles including Sugar Glider”, “Hako is Alive and She Is 59” and “Filip. Besides MokuMoku has been part of such international festivals as MadCool Festival 2018 and Bristol Upfest (2017). Currently the band is working on their fourth studio album named Feast.
DJ. MACHAIDZE
Georgian pioneer DJ MACHAIDZE is well known to the audience. His music incorporates Funky House, Disco House, Jazz House and Soulful House sounds.
Tickets for 13th Black Sea Jazz Festival are available online at TKT.GE. The festival is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Ajara. The festival is carried out within the frames of the Check in Georgia State Program.
By Lika Chigladze