European Jazz Conference 2017 detailed programme

21 – 24 September 2017 Cankarjev dom – Ljubljana SLOVENIA

WELCOME to the European Jazz Conference, the most important annual meeting of professionals from the jazz sector in Europe, in particular of presenters, managers, agents and national/regional organisations.

The Conference is composed of inspiring keynote speeches, high-level discussion groups and workshops, networking sessions for professionals, cultural visits and in the evenings a showcase programme of the best new artists from the host country, this year Slovenia.

#europejazz17

21/09 15:00

OPENING AND WELCOME of EJN Members Kosovel Hall, -2

15:15

Overview of past activities, introduction of workplan 2017-2021 Kosovel Hall, -2

16:00

Coffee break Foyer, -2

16:30

FORMAL EJN GENERAL ASSEMBLY Kosovel Hall, -2

19:00

OPENING GALA CONCERT: Bojan Z & Goran Bojčevski Quartet / Rabih Abou-Khalil trio Linhart Hall, -1

22:30

Events around the city

22/09 10:30

OPENING CEREMONY: welcome addresses Linhart Hall, -2

11:00

KEYNOTE SPEECH: Rabih Abou-Khalil Linhart Hall, -2

12:00

PLENARY DEBATE: Rabih Abou-Khalil, Anuša Pisanec, Mehdi Marechal, N’toko Moderator: Francesco Martinelli Linhart Hall, -2

13:00

Lunch Foyer, -2

14:45

BOOK PRESENTATION: “The Shared Roots of European Jazz” Linhart Hall, -2

15:30

SPECIAL CONCERT: To Pianos - Kaja Draksler & Eve Risser Štih Hall, -1

16:15

CREATIVE WALKS: 6 parallel groups around the city of Ljubljana Ending at Ljubljana Market - “Open kitchen” event

19:30

Dinner at Cankarjev dom Foyer, -2

21:00

SLOVENIA SHOWCASE FESTIVAL #1 CD Club

10:30

KEYNOTE SPEECH: Bojan Z Linhart Hall, -2

11:30

6 PARALLEL WORKING GROUPS on sharing expertise between professionals M1, M2, M3, M4, E1, E2: -1 & -2

13:00

Lunch at Cankarjev dom Foyer, -2

14:45

Group photo Linhart Hall, -2

15:00

6 PARALLEL NETWORKING SESSIONS by typology of organisations M1, M2, M3, M4, E1, E2: -1 & -2

16:30

KEYNOTE SPEECH: Rokia Traoré Linhart Hall, -2

19:30

Dinner at Cankarjev dom Foyer, -2

21:00

SLOVENIA SHOWCASE FESTIVAL #2 CD Club

11:30

Sightseeing cultural tour around the city of Ljubljana Meeting point at the “3 Bridges - city centre”

In February 1917, while an unruly group of young white musicians was recording in New York City, under the unconvinced gaze of the Victor management, the music that would be published as the first record with the word “jazz” on the label, another group of musicians, African-Americans from Harlem, were fighting in Europe’s muddy trenches in a war so bloody and tragic that to justify it they called it “the war to end all wars”. They were the 369th Infantry, also known as the "Hellfighters” and their band was led by Lt. James Reese Europe.

Their concerts in Versailles disrupted the rigid diplomatic code, and their victorious parade across all the length of Manhattan was a historical first, like Europe’s concert in Carnegie Hall.

Unfortunately not only was that war not the last, but in a mere 20 years there would be another war across Europe. After that, the ideal of an unified Europe kept war outside the heart of the Old World, even when it raged on its borders.

In these 100 years jazz changed with the times and managed surprisingly not only to survive, but even to thrive and develop. It provided a stage for the oppressed and the disenfranchised. The bright smile of Louis Armstrong, the scintillating pyrotechnics of Ella Fitzgerald, the brooding humour of Miles Davis, the sensuality of Josephine Baker and the visionary music of Django Reinhardt spoke to the hearts of the world way beyond their words. And when Dizzy Gillespie or Benny Goodman toured in the name of “jazz diplomacy” it was always a tug-of-war between the message they wanted to convey, the will of officials to control them, and what the audience expected.

Jazz at its best has been a pain in the ass, a subversive music, turning upside down not only the world of entertainment but the bureaucracies and the dictators that found it in the most unexpected places. It has been for generations of listeners and musicians a path to the discovery of new musical worlds, an inspiration to break the accepted rules, to welcome the unexpected not only in sound, but also in text, poetry, image, film.

Hovering on the borders of the Empire, jazz allowed itself to be filled with new contents, making those borders more porous, dancing over the walls while weakening their foundations. It brought together people from different walks of life, different class, ethnicities, national backgrounds.

After 100 years jazz has to reinvent itself yet again to face new and different challenges. More digitally united and interconnected, the world is becoming more divided with walls and barbed wire. The resulting pent-up energies, rage, and inequalities cannot be contained under the smooth veneer of soothing music, but must be released and expressed to allow celebration. That is the space that we – promoters, operators, writers, all the agents in the field – need to create, in order to allow jazz to be as it always has been, a place of understanding where contradictions come out in the open and are reinterpreted by current, urgent art. No better place than Ljubljana, with its past, present and future, to reflect on who we are, why we are together, and where we want to go.

Francesco Martinelli Author, Jazz Historian, Siena Jazz Archive Director

21 / 0 9 T H U R S D AY

ONLY FOR EJN MEMBERS KOSOVEL HALL, 2

Opening and welcome of EJN Members

15:00 / 15 : 15

KOSOVEL HALL, 2

OVERVIEW OF EJN’S PAST ACTIVITIES, INTRODUCTION OF WORKPLAN 20172021

15 : 15 / 16:00

FOYER, 2

Coffee break

16:00 / 16:30

KOSOVEL HALL, 2

FORMAL EJN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

16:30 / 18:30

OPEN TO EVERYBODY LINHART HALL, 1

OPENING GALA CONCERT · Bojan Z & Goran Bojčevski Quartet · Rabih Abou-Khalil Trio

19:00 / 20:30

EVENTS AROUND THE CITY

22:30 / 24:00

KLUB GROMKA, AKC METELKOVA MESTO

· Vasko Atanasovski Trio

2 2 / 0 9 F R I D AY LINHART HALL, 2

OPENING CEREMONY. Welcome addresses:

10:30 / 10:50

· Uršula Cetinski (SI) General Director of Cankarjev dom · Ros Rigby (UK) President of Europe Jazz Network · Bogdan Benigar (SI) Artistic Director of Ljubljana Jazz Festival and Jazz & World Music Director at Cankarjev dom · Giambattista Tofoni (IT) Network Manager of Europe Jazz Network LINHART HALL, 2

KEYNOTE SPEECH · Rabih Abou-Khalil (LB)

11 : 0 0 / 11 : 4 5

“Music across borders” In his keynote speech the world-famous composer and oud player will tell the story of his personal experiences from the start of his career in Lebanon to his arrival to Europe and his many collaborations across different musical styles.

LINHART HALL, 2

PLENARY DEBATE “Where to begin? Social Inclusion in cultural policies” The debate will explore how cultural institution can engage with diversity and develop effective social inclusion actions in their programming and present some successful stories of musical projects with refugees and marginalised communities.

12 : 0 0 / 13 : 0 0

2 2 / 0 9 F R I D AY Speakers: · Rabih Abou-Khalil (LB) world-famous composer and oud player · Anuša Pisanec (SI) working for development agencies and in music journalism, Board member of Druga Godba Festival · Mehdi Marechal (BE) expert in cultural participation & interculturalism freelance consultant for the cultural sector in Belgium · N’toko (SI) experimental hip-hop artist and producer blending influences from rock, free-jazz, electro, noise and psychedelia among others Moderator: Francesco Martinelli (IT) Author, Jazz Historian, Siena Jazz Archive Director FOYER, 2

Lunch at Cankarjev dom

13: 00 / 14:45

LINHART HALL, 2

BOOK PRESENTATION “The Shared Roots of European Jazz” The session will present the overall plan and the progress of the work on the upcoming book (soon to be published by Equinox publishing) that will represent the first comprehensive history of jazz in Europe.

Speakers: · Francesco Martinelli (IT) Author, Jazz Historian, Siena Jazz Archive Director · Alyn Shipton (UK) Jazz author and critic, musician and presenter at BBC Radio 3

14:45 / 15:30

2 2 / 0 9 F R I D AY ŠTIH HALL, 1

SPECIAL CONCERT

15:30 / 16 : 15

To Pianos · Kaja Draksler (SI) & Eve Risser (FR) Official launch of the new CD released on Clean Feed records CREATIVE WALKS 6 parallel groups around the city of Ljubljana* The idea of the walks is to live the city of Ljubljana through a participatory and collective cultural experience. Each of the groups will walk together to a specific public space in the city (park, cafe, etc) where the leader of each group will share a story or make a small performance and stimulate a debate around the theme of “What If…”.

All the walks will finally end at Ljubljana Market “Open kitchen” event.

Group leaders: · N'toko (SI), experimental hip-hop artists + Iman Shahryari - Naji (Iran), musician currently living in Slovenia · Dré Hočevar (SI), musician working between New York and Ljubljana · Eric Yovogan (Benin), trumpeter currently living in Belgium and active in the Belgian jazz and popular music scene, Mehdi Marechal (BE) expert in cultural participation & interculturalism & Wim Wabbes (BE), Handelsbeurs Concert Hall · Edin Zubčević (BA), Sarajevo Jazz Fest

16 : 15 / 17: 3 0

2 2 / 0 9 F R I D AY · Shalan Alhamwy (Syria), violinist and composer currently living in Belgium, formerly playing with the Syrian National Orchestra, Martyna Markowska (PO), Katowice JazzArt Festival & Nadin Deventer (DE), JazzFest Berlin · Pedro Costa (PO) Clean Feed records *Organised in collaboration with Handelsbeurs Concert Hall FOYER, 2

Dinner at Cankarjev dom

19:30 / 20:30

CD CLUB

SLOVENIA SHOWCASE FESTIVAL #1 · Maja Osojnik ZSAMM · Drago Ivanuša · Artbeaters · Bowrain

21 : 0 0 / 24 :00

2 3 / 0 9 S A T U R D AY LINHART HALL, 2

KEYNOTE SPEECH · Bojan Z (FR)

10:30 / 11 : 15

“The artist - a bridge between communities” The French/Serbian jazz pianist will tell the story of how each little event of his first years as a music student turned out to have large consequences later on in his professional life, leading him to be one of the pioneers in blending Balkan folk music with jazz, as well as to collaborate with some of the most creative musicians in Europe and beyond, from Jack DeJohnette to Amira Medunjanin.

6 PARALLEL WORKING GROUPS on sharing expertise between professionals M1, 1

We Insist! Social Inclusion · Xavier Lemettre (FR) Banlieues Bleues · Davide Grosso (IT) International Music Council M2, 1

Gender Balance in music · Ros Rigby (UK) Europe Jazz Network & Sage Gateshead · Terese Larsson (SE) Svensk Jazz M3, 1

Protecting the music Ecosystem · Michelle Kuypers (NE) North Sea Jazz Festival · George McKay (UK) University of East Anglia

11 : 3 0 / 13 : 0 0

2 3 / 0 9 S A T U R D AY · Ian Smith (UK) European Music Council M4, 1

Jazz and Young People · Wim Wabbes (BE) Handelsbeurs Concert Hall · Nina Torske (NO) Vestnorsk Jazzsenter E1, 2

Working group for Presenters, Managers & Agents · Jan Ole Otnæs (NO) Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene · Danielle Oosterop (NE) Oosterop Music Management · Charles Gil (FI) Raheen Rantajatsit E2, 2

Using videos and live streaming for audience engagement · Nigel Slee (UK) Jazz North · Stefano Zucchiatti (IT) Europe Jazz Network FOYER, 2

Lunch at Cankarjev dom

13: 00 / 14:45

LINHART HALL, 2

Group photo

14:45 / 15:00

2 3 / 0 9 S A T U R D AY 6 PARALLEL WORKING GROUPS by typology of organisations M1, 1

Spring/Summer Festivals · Emily Jones (UK) Cheltenham Jazz Festival M2 , 1

Autumn/Winter Festivals · John Cumming (UK) Serious Events/EFG London Jazz Festival M3, 1

Clubs/venues · Kornelia Vossebin (DE) Stadtgarden Köln M4, 1

National/regional organisations · Paul Gompes (NE) Dutch Jazz Archive · Antoine Bois (FR) Association Jazz Croiseé E1, 2

Jazz Research Group · Tony Whyton (UK) Birmingham City University E2, 2

Agencies and artist’s managers · Danielle Oosterop (NE) Oosterop Music Management

15:00 / 16:30

2 3 / 0 9 S A T U R D AY LINHART HALL, 2

KEYNOTE SPEECH · Rokia Traoré (ML)

16:30 / 17: 15

“The role of an artist against misconceptions” “Everywhere, artists can play their part in educating through culture, and against common misconceptions.

The first European explorers who came to Africa made many mistakes which formed the basis of how Black people are still perceived in the world today. These errors have also impregnated the psyche of too many Black people in Africa and elsewhere. For a steady development of Africa in the long term, this need to be discussed, analysed and written from the perspective of those who are actually concerned.”

FOYER, 2

Dinner at Cankarjev dom

19:30 / 20:30

CD CLUB

SLOVENIA SHOWCASE FESTIVAL #2 · Feminized.Science.Deniers (Lumpert/Risser/Hočevar) · Kristijan Krajnčan: DrummingCellist · Teo Collori & Momento Cigano

21 : 0 0 / 24:00

2 4 / 0 9 S U N D AY SIGHTSEEING CULTURAL TOUR AROUND THE CITY OF LJUBLJANA Meeting point at the “3 bridges - city centre”

11 : 3 0 / 13 : 0 0

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Born in Lebanon, Rabih Abu-Khalil grew up in the cosmopolitan Beirut of the sixties and seventies. He began studying the oud at the age of four. The Lebanese war prompted the young musician to leave his country in 1978. He settled in Munich where he received a classical training at the conservatory.

Rejecting any artistic compromise, Abou-Khalil very early decided to produce his own music. He has been involved in every stage of the creation, from the recording to the graphic design of his record sleeves, a

trademark dating back to 1982, the year of his first album Compositions & Improvisation.

He worked and recorded with many internationally renowned musicians, including Charlie Mariano, Glen Moore, Glen Velez, Ramesh Shotham, Sonny Fortune, Steve Swallow and Kenny Wheeler.

In his musical universe, he integrated forms previously reserved to classical music: he composed pieces for string quartet and wrote for orchestras such as the Ensemble Modern and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

He also wrote several soundtracks, including “Nathan der Weise�, a German silent movie dating back to 1922.

After a long and fruitful collaboration with the German label Enja records, with several flagship albums such as Blue Camel (1992) and Arabian Waltz (1996), the latter recorded with the Balanescu Quartet, Rabih joined for his 20th album one of the house labels of Harmonia Mundi, World Village.

Rabih Abou-Khalil

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Rokia Traoré is a Victoires de la Musique award-winning singer, songwriter and artist, one of the leading voices in Malian music today. The daughter of a jazz-loving diplomat, she travelled widely in her youth, visiting countries such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium and being exposed to a wide variety of influences. She moved back to Mali in 2009 after living in Europe for several years.

In addition to six studio albums (last one is “Né So” from 2016), she has been involved in various multimedia pieces, including an

African-take on Shakespere’s Othello, and served on the 2005 Cannes Film Festival jury.

In 2009 she established Fondation Passerelle, a Bamako-based school that trains young musicians outside the griot system, encouraging professional careers. In 2014 her work with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, took her to Goudoubo camp in Burkina Faso, host to some 10,000 Malian refugees, who fled the conflict in the country’s north. “The crisis is a forgotten one. I came to hear their stories. I came to ask for peace.

The rest of humanity cannot allow this to carry on”.

Her new project, “Dream Mandé – Djata”, a musical monologue based on parts of the story of the Mandingo epic, will be presented at the Festival d’Avignon in July 2017.

Rokia Traoré

ph: © Danny Willems

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Multiple award-winning pianist Bojan Z (for Zulfikarpašić) was born in former Yugoslavia in 1968. Starting classical piano lessons at the age of 5, he found himself in the Belgrade rock scene as a youngster, obtained a scholarship at the age of 18 to study jazz with Clare Fischer in the US, to be awarded ‘Best Young Jazz Musician of Yugoslavia’ a few years later. At the age of 20 he left his hometown and settled in Paris, where he established himself as an indispensable element of the French jazz scene.

Bojan Z

More than two decades later, he has an impressive record to his name. Apart from being a much sought-after sideman, collaborating with outstanding names like Henri Texier, Michel Portal and Julien Lourau, Z has made eight albums under his own name. Six of them were released on Label Bleu, covering a wide range of styles and formations.

The first three, two quartets and his multi-ethnical project Koreni, resulted in Z’s status as the pioneer who brought Balkan influences into jazz. They were followed by his successful first solo album Solobsession and two trio albums on which he collaborated with contemporary jazz greats from the American scene. His later works have been released on Emarcy/Universal, including his acclaimed and award winning second piano solo album entitled Soul Shelter, released in February 2012.

Slovenia Showcase Festival

22 F R I D AY

CD CLUB

ZSAMM: MAJA OSOJNIK & PATRICK WURZWALLNER play LET THEM GROW Maja Osojnik, vocals, live sampling, dj-cd player and other lo-fi electronics; Patrick Wurzwallner, drums; Christina Bauer, sound engineering “An anthroposophical striptease of the soul, between dystopian chansons, primordial mantras, and musique concrète.” On her first solo production Maja Osojnik combines with unparalleled nimbleness her seeking penchant for song schemes, experimental and new music as well as improvisation. LET THEM GROW is the product of a retreat, an introspection, a re-alignment. Osojnik asks about the self, asks whether it is possible—beyond the fundamental impossibility—to be understood. She asks about the things people do when they love others and about the things they suppress. What does it mean to live an emancipated life today?

Contact: Maja Osojnik | maja.osojnik@gmx.net

22 F R I D AY

CD CLUB

DRAGO IVANUŠA: LA BÊTE HUMAINE Drago Ivanuša, piano solo Drago Ivanuša’s project La Bête humaine / The Human Beast (leaning on the 1937 Jean Renoir’s film), brings musical view of the times we live in, the position of the individual in a world full of tension, so similar to those times when La Bête humaine was made. The programme contains compositions with improvised parts, energetic, full of harmonic textures and polyrhythms. Ivanuša’s music is expressive, eclectic and unpredictable. He makes good use of his experience in theatre and film, which gives his music a strong, exact dramaturgy and exciting content.

Contact: Drago Ivanuša | drago.ivanusa@gmail.com

ph: © Matej Povše

22 F R I D AY

CD CLUB

ARTBEATERS Peter Ugrin, violin; Marko Čepak, guitar; Aleš Ogrin, piano; Ilj Pušnik, bass; Aljoša Jerič, drums The story of Artbeaters began in 2011, when Peter Ugrin (violin) returned from his studies in New York. Their latest release Life Compass On! is based on the uniqueness and diversity of compositions which are meaningfully merged through mutual relationship. Their new music is inspired by the style of a large musical piece i.e. suite, therefore the actual content of the compositions has the same privilege as improvisation.

Contact: Peter Ugrin | ugrin.peter@gmail.com

ph: © Benjamin Kovač

22 F R I D AY OTHER CLUB TBA

BOWRAIN Tine Grgurevič aka Bowrain, piano, keyboards; Mario Babojelić, guitar; Robert Nitschke, drums Bowrain a.k.a. pianist Tine Grgurevič, who is blazing new trails on Slovenian jazz scene and has made an international name for himself, will feature compositions from the upcoming album. “BOWRAIN a.k.a.

Tine Grgurevič makes electronic music from a genre-less perspective, touching upon traditions of modern classical and jazz, without ever really settling in any sound. Writing for dance pieces and playing jazz piano along to loops of pop-Marxist legend Slavoj Žižek philosophising on ideology, BOWRAIN isn’t afraid to experiment.”

Subbacultcha, Amsterdam Contact: Bowrain | tinemusic@gmail.com

23 S A T U R D AY

CD CLUB

FEMINIZED.SCIENCE.DENIERS (IGOR LUMPERT/EVE RISSER/DRÉ HOČEVAR) Igor Lumpert, saxophone; Eve Risser, piano; Dré Hočevar, drums Feminized.Science.Deniers is new collaborative sphere initiated by the two Slovenian artists: Igor Lumpert and Dré Hočevar along with the French pianist, composer, and improviser Eve Risser. They set out to create and perform exciting new original music, contextualized within the spectrum of the musical, artistic, philosophical and scientific traditions, along with the related contemporary narratives, corresponding to our personal lives and imaginative meaning-making.

As composers and performers, they aim to chart new artistic territories and bring to life new symbolic systems and mediums of social change and transformation.

Contact: Dré Hočevar | dre@drehocevar.com

23 S A T U R D AY

CD CLUB

KRISTIJAN KRAJNČAN: DRUMMINGCELLIST Kristijan Krajnčan, cello, drums Drummer, cellist and composer Kristijan Krajnčan, one of Slovenia’s most prolific and incisive young artists who has built up an enviable international reputation, is presenting his new solo project and promoting his latest release, DrummingCellist. Distilling contemporary jazz, classical, film music and other genres into a comprehensive music storytelling, DrummingCellist presents an exciting, fresh, daring, colourful and out of the ordinary approach. This is music that moves fiercely and gracefully across borders, beyond average, beyond the usual, beyond standard confinements, exploring possibilities of two paramount instruments with a pure and complete artistic vision of sonic discovery.

Contact: Kristijan Krajnčan | kristijan.kr@gmail.com

ph: © Urška Lukovnjak

23 S A T U R D AY

CD CLUB

TEO COLLORI & MOMENTO CIGANO Teo Collori, guitar; Matija Krečič, violin; Matej Kužel, clarinet; Jan Gregorka, double bass; Metod Banko, guitar Teo Collori & Momento Cigano play an exquisite cocktail of gypsy swing and dance-floor music. In this project the retro style is vibrantly re-imagined, enhanced by fresh original compositions evoking the vintage mood of salons, cigars, Charleston and patent-leather shoes.

Momento Cigano are all academy-trained musicians famed also for being the backup band for Slovenian pop king Magnifico. In 2015, their first record, Hot Club Piran, was Album of the Year on the Muzikobala music portal, and in 2016 the band broke into the fastidious US market, releasing an album on the illustrious Lowtemp label.

Contact: Teo Collori | teocolori@gmail.com

ph: © Tanja Likeb

SPECIAL EVENT

OPENING GALA CONCERT LINHART HALL THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st AT 19:00 First part: BOJAN Z & GORAN BOJČEVSKI PROJECT Bojan Z, piano; Goran Bojčevski, clarinet, reeds; Tomaž Marčič, accordion; Tadej Kampl, bass; Žiga Kožar, drums A special collaboration of Serbian-born, French-based, pianist (also key speaker at EJC Ljubljana), who established himself as one of the key figures in the European Jazz Scene, with Macedonian, Slovenian-based, clarinet and reeds player whose recent works range from classical compositions for orchestras to his pro-acclaimed versatile music for his own quintet while being one of best clarinet soloists in the region.

Part two: RABIH ABOUKHALIL TRIO Rabih Abou-Khalil, oud; Luciano Biondini, accordion; Jarrod Cagwin, drums Rabih Abou-Khalil is one of the most famous and respected composers from the Arab region with many international recognitions for his published works (more than twenty albums), active both in jazz, classical and film music. He is the author of classic albums for the Enja label such as Blue Camel (1992) and Arabian Waltz (1996). He gained international fame when he moved from his native Lebanon to Germany. He collaborated with musicians such as Charlie Mariano, Glen Velez, Kenny Wheeler, Steve Swallow and many others. He returns to Ljubljana with a trio to present his latest album.

Ph: © Tone Štamcar

SPECIAL EVENT

VASKO ATANASOVSKI TRIO Vasko Atanasovski, vocal, saxophone, flute; Dejan Lapanja, guitar Marjan Stanič, drums & percussion KLUB GROMKA, AKC - Metelkova mesto (see map or www.klubgromka.org) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st at 22.30 Free entrance for all EJC2017 delegates (with Conference badges) Vasko Atanasovski Trio is composed of exceptional Slovenian musicians with Vasko Atanasovski as composer and sax player at the forefront, Dejan Lapanja on guitar and Marjan Stanic on drums. Ecstasy, high energy and eclectic mix of musical styles are well known characteristics of their

performances, which are inviting to dance and standing ovations.

Lyrics in English, Serbo-Croatian and Slovenian are mainly about love, inspired by humour and witty metaphors. With positive musical vibe they successfully conquered stages of rock, jazz and world music venues.

ph: © Nada Žgank

SPECIAL EVENT

TO PIANOS: KAJA DRAKSLER & EVE RISSER ŠTIH HALL FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd at 15.30 Special concert of the Ljubljana Jazz Series album release by Clean Feed. This joint project was destined to be. After the two compelling artists released their solo piano albums on Clean Feed, and have navigated further terrain in diverse regular and ad hoc contexts, the idea

emerged to bring the two thrilling young pianists together. The JFL commission surprised neither the musicians nor the public. Eager to do something special and new, the musicians leaped at the opportunity with wholehearted dedication.

EXHIBITIONS

SECOND FOYER, Cankarjev dom Oliver Belopeta: Because of Jazz When attending international jazz festivals, the restless jazz enthusiast never forgets to bring his camera.

FIRST FOYER, Cankarjev dom Žiga Koritnik: Critics Choice A world-renowned photographer whose career spans three decades, Žiga Koritnik specialises in portrait photography of musicians as well as in concert, theatre and dance photography.

FOYER, TRG REPUBLIKE 2, NLB Avla Gallery Complicate Simply Visionary ideas coupled with sophisticated graphic design make the Skopje festival posters some of the finest specimens of their kind.

PRACTICAL INFO VENUE The European Jazz Conference 2017 is taking place at: CANKARJEV DOM, Cultural and Congress Centre, Prešernova 10, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia (see map), Phone : +386 1 241 7100, www.cd-cc.si, including the showcases (to take place in the CD Club on the top floor of the building) and lunches/dinners (that will be in the foyer of the -2 floor).

REGISTRATION The Registration Desk for the Conference is located in the foyer of the -2 floor of Cankarjev dom and will open at: 13:00 / 15:00 on Thursday 21st September 09:30 / 10:30 on Friday 22nd September 10:00 / 10:30 on Saturday 23rd September The official language of the Conference is English. WIFI is available for all participants free and unlocked. Network name: CD_GUEST. TRANSPORTS For transport from/to Ljubljana Airport we recommend shuttle service to/from your destination. Please pre-order via website of Go Opti or by e-mail message to Markun Borut. The price is 9 € one way. (GoOpti can be used as well for different airports, of course with different prices). You can use also private transfer or taxi (see info below).

Shuttle service from Ljubljana airport •GoOpti web: www.goopti.com

•Markun Borut & Co. d.n.o. tel: +386 (0) 51 321 414 web: www.prevozi-markun.com email: Borut Markun (borut.markun@siol.net)

Private transfer: Ljubljana airport – Ljubljana city (fixed prices) •GRH Transportation services Private car transfer (Economy): 39 € (the price includes VAT, bottled water, professional licensed chauffeur) tel: +386 41 376 964 / web: www.grh.si

•Taxi from 40 - 70 € one way

2,7 KM  M HOTEL

HOTEL SLON

3 BRIDGES city centre

CANKARJEV DOM main conference venue

HOTEL MRAK

KLUB GROMKA AKC Metelkova mesto

CITY HOTEL HOTEL PARK

LJUBLJANA MARKET

LJUBLJANA CASTLE

LJUBLJANA

Cankarjev dom (CD) is Slovenia`s largest cultural and congress centre. It presents, produces, co-produces, organises and provides cultural and artistic, congress and other events, state commemorations, exhibitions and festivals.

In devising its programme, CD strives towards enriching the quality of lives, forming, fostering and asserting the cultural and wider national identity and educating the young people in culture and the arts.

With an expert team of professional congress organisers it implements ideas from all over the country and the world, and attracts the attention of organisers and participants in international congresses, symposia and seminars.

CD is visited by half a million people each year and annually hosts over 2000 events.

Since 1982, Cankarjev dom has been producing Jazz Festival Ljubljana, founded in 1960.

Bogdan Benigar (CD) and Pedro Costa (Clean Feed) have been the JFL programme selectors since 2011. JFL has established a long-term relation with the Clean Feed by creating the Ljubljana Jazz Series as part of the label’s releases. All recordings are made during the festival and include numerous emerging artists from Slovenia and abroad.

www.cd-cc.si www.ljubljanajazz.si

Europe Jazz Network (EJN) is a Europe-wide association of producers, presenters and supporting organisations who specialise in creative music, contemporary jazz and improvised music created from a distinctly European perspective. Its membership currently comprises 115 organisations (including festivals, clubs and concert venues, independent promoters and national organisations) from 34 European countries.

EJN exists to support the identity and diversity of jazz in Europe and to broaden awareness of this vital area of music as a cultural and educational force. It aims to increase exchange of knowledge and experience between professionals of the jazz sector and to initiate and encourage the

development of international exchanges, special projects and collaborations between producers and artists both within and outside of Europe.

EJN believes that creative music contributes to social and emotional growth and economic prosperity, and is a positive force for harmony and understanding between people from the diversity of cultures inherent in the European family. It is an invaluable channel for the process of inter-cultural dialogue, communication and collaboration.

www.europejazz.net

Programme Committee: Ahmet Ulug (Pozitif, Akbank Jazz Festival; Istanbul) Edin Zubcevic (Jazz Fest Sarajevo) Martyna Markowska (JazzArt Festival Katowice) Nadin Deventer (Berlin Festspiele – Jazzfest Berlin) Wim Wabbes (Handelsbeurs, Ghent) Bogdan Benigar (Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana) Cankarjev dom: Bogdan Benigar: Project leader Darinka Hvalec, Saša Globačnik: PR & communication Gregor Rogač, Janja Krivec: Conference production Gregor Karpov: Concert production Mojca Juvančič, Mina Krevl: Registrations Zvezdana Lazar: Sponsors Tamara Habjanič: Secretary Cankarjev dom Management: Uršula Cetinski, Director General; Jana Kramberger, Managing Director; Breda Pečovnik MA, Congress & Commercial Programme Director; Karmen Klučar, Technical Director Europe Jazz Network: Giambattista Tofoni, Network Manager Francesca Cerretani, Network Administrator/Coordinator Stefano Zucchiatti, Communication Manager Graphic design: Fabio Damiani

21 – 24 September 2017 Cankarjev dom – Ljubljana SLOVENIA www.europejazz.net