VARNA SUMMER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
Welcome at the Varna Summer International Jazz Festival web site!
With so many anniversaries in the European jazz (various movements, festivals, groups and artists) sprinkled like a star rain over the mainland in 2016, the 25th "Varna Jazz Fest" ranks somewhat modestly at the end of the line. But if we do not consider it separately but as a segment of the whole (the "Varna Summer" International Music Festival), suddenly things get quite different dimensions. It took many decades to break with the totalitarian regime in the country, to find and appreciate the misrepresentation of our past and to call it by its right name - jazz. With such an ambition in 1992 Anatoly Vapirov tied the thread, torn long ago, and joined again the Jazz Festival to the "Varna Summer" Festival.

What is “Varna Jazz” today?
With a hand on heart and with wide open eyes to the facts we should categorically say - this is the jazz festival in Bulgaria, the only one which selects and offers high music art. And a constant renewal of the creativity in a time when the very concept of music has lost its aristocracy and has become a cheap entertainment for plebs.

What is not "Varna Jazz"?
It is not a jazz barbecue, nor jazz by the pool, nor jazz among piles of straw on a windy mountaintop. The naïve and even infantile Bulgarian manner of playing with the card of tourism - domestic and international - is totally alien both to the "Varna Summer" and the "Varna Jazz." Extrinsic to them also are the inherited totalitarian forms of "summer recreation of workers" so willingly used in the capital and many other cities in the country to cover up the bureaucratic impotence. The festival as well as the citizens of Varna well remembers where and when the summer seaside tourism in the country started and they keep with dignity its cultural heritage. It is well known by the faithful jazz audiences of all generations. Without them the festival would not be possible.

Vladimir Gadzhev
31 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2022

29.07.2022

1 - Christian Bakanic - Trio Infernal - Austria
2 - Antonio Flinta Quartet - Italy

30.07.2022

1 - Spectrum Vocal Band - Bulgaria
2 - Alf Carlsson / Jiří Kotača Quartet - Czechia/Switzerland

31.07.2022

1 - Antoni Donchev trio - Bulgaria
2 - Sharon Clark quartet - USA/Denmark

 
30 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2021

29.07.2021

1 - Vasil Hajigrudev trio -Bulgaria/Spain/Serbia
2 - Piotr Baron trio - Poland

30.07.2021

1 - Space Kadillak –Sasho Logozarov - Bulgaria
2 - Via Mavis trio France - Austria/Netherlands

31.07.2021

1 - Zhivko Vasilev quintet - Bulgaria
2 - KUHN FU - Germany/Izrail/Turkey/England

01.08.2022

1 - Dimiter Liolev quintet - Bulgaria
2 - Sketchbook quartet - Austria
 
29 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2020

18.08.2019

1 - Half Easy trio - Bulgaria/Netherlands
2 - Miro Ivanov quintet - Bulgaria

19.08.2019

1 - Liubo Denev - Dialog with Milcho - Bulgaria
2 - Tamara Lukasheva - Antoni Donchev - Germany/Bulgaria

19.08.2020

1 - Rocco and his brothers - Bulgaria
2 - SKostov-Agnieszka Hekiert quartet - Bulgaria/Poland
 
28 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2019

26.07.2019

1 - Dumiter Bodurov trio - Bulgaria/Holand
2 - Woody Black 4 - Austria

27.07.2019

1 - KoloYolo trio - Ukrainе
2 - Łukasz Borowicki quartet - Poland

28.07.2019

1 - Lithuanian trombone project&Loreta Sungailiene - Lithuania
2 - Билли Харпер - Antoni Donchev Quartet - USA/Bulgaria
27 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2018

28.07.2018

1 - BARTOSZ DWORAK QUARTET - Poland
2 - Chico Freeman - THE EXOTIC TRIO - USA - Switzerland

29.07.2018

1 - Rossen Zachariev -Auyne Sule trio - Bulgaria- Republic Ghana
2 - David Helbock´s Random Control - Austria
 
26 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2017

27.07.2017


1 - METAфоRмоZA –Roco Zahariev quartet - Bulgaria
2 - Srdjan Ivanovic Blazin' quartet - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Holland, Greece, France, Bulgaria

28.07.2017

1 - Adam Wendt Power Set - Poland
2 - Conrad Herwig - Antoni Donchev trio - USA - Bulgaria

29.07.2017

1 - Peter Momchev quintet - Bulgaria
2 - Hristo Yotsov project „Jazz Cats“ - Bulgaria -Spain
3 - Sergey Manukian trio - Russia

 
25 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2016
28.07.2016

1 - BANDWAGON ACOUSTIC - Bulgaria
2 - ART ENSEMBLE ARKHANGELSK - Russia

29.07.2016

1 - ANDREY PROZOROV TRIO - Austria
1 - VLADIMIR KARPAROV QUARTET - Germany, Bulgaria

30.07.2016

1 - TAMARA LUKASHEVA / MATTHIAS SCHRIFFL - Ukraine, Germany
2 - GEORGI KORNAZOV PROJECT CONSCIOUNESS - France, Bulgaria

31.07.2016

1 - ACOUSTIC VERSION - Bulgaria
2 - ADAM BALDYCH / HELGE LIEN TRIO BRIDGES - Poland / Norway
 
24 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2015
30.07.2015

1 - Luybo Denev and SOPHISTICATED JAZZ quintet - Bulgaria
2 - Antoni Donchev- Mario Forte - Bulgaria – France

31.07.2015

1 - Hristo Yotsov quintet- Jazzball - Bulgaria
2 - Peter Baron quintet - Poland

01.08.2015

1 - Forkolor Saxophon Quartet - Germany, Bulgaria
2 - Vapirov project - Gardarika - Holland, Bulgaria, Russia

02.08.2015

1 - Tribal Dialects trio - Austria
2 - Eve Cornelious – Vintskevich project - USA, Russia, Bulgaria
23 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2014
31.07.2014

1 - Dimitar Lyolev Quintet - Bulgaria
2 - Kochetov Quintet - Serbia

01.08.2014

1 - Plamen Karadonev Trio – Elena Koleva - USA, Bulgaria
2 - New Bone quintet - Poland

02.08.2014

1 - Miroslav Ivanov quartet - Bulgaria
2 - Acquaphonica - Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia, Japan, Bulgaria

03.08.2014

1 - FKP трио -Ukraine
2 - Vapirov No-Net - Bulgaria - Turkey - Lithuania, Russia, Germany
 
22 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2013
26.07.2013

1 - Mario Stanchev - Hristo Yotsov trio - France-Bulgaria
2 - Tamara Lukasheva - Yury Kouznetsov quintet - Ukraine - Germany - Bulgaria

27.07.2013

1 - ZERNO project - Russia
2 - Bulchemists Sextet - Bulgaria

28.07.2013

1 - FlyMeToTheMoon - Rosen Zahariev quartet - Bulgaria
2 - Piotr Wojtasik quartet - Poland - Hungary
 
21 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2012
27.07.2012

1 - Funkallero - Bulgaria
2 - Alexandrina Simeon Quintet – Germany

28.07.2012

1 - Leszek Mozdzer - Poland
2 - GBG Project - Bulgaria, Germany
Donchev / Ramond / Kugel / Zahariev

29.07.2012

1 - Petar Momchev Quartet - Bulgaria
2 - Black Sea Quartet - Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria
Lantos / Horvath / Kiortsoglou / Vapirov
 
20 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2011
29.07.2011

Christo Yotsov Quintet - Bulgaria
Ganelin Trio Prioriti - Israel - Lithuania - Germany

30.07.2011
25 years – Acoustic Version - Bulgaria
Christian Muthspiel - Franck Tortiller - Austria - France

31.07.2011

Vlodek Pawlik Trio - Poland
50 years Big-Band – BNR – Antoni Donchev - Bulgaria
 
19 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2010
30.07.2010

Georgi Kornazov quartet – France - Bulgaria
Villu Veski NordicSounds - Estonia

31.07.2010

Prozorov-Neselovsky – Austria - USA
Jeins Winter European quartet - Danmark - Sweden

01.08.2010

Dino Rangel trio - Brazil
Percussion Impact Project - Bulgaria
 
18 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2009
31.07.2009
Dimitar Lyolev Quintet – Canopus - Bulgaria
Margriet Sjoerdsma and Bodurov Ensemble - Bloom - Bulgaria – The Netherlands

01.08.2009
Asen Doykin Trio - USA – Bulgaria
Vapirov – Donchev – Yankoulov – Zahariev - Bulgaria

02.08.2009
Otto Hejnic Trio - Czech Republic – Slovak Republic
Pulcinella - France
 
17 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2008
01.08.2008

Jivko Petrov trio - Bulgaria
Yuri Kuznetsov project - Ukraina
Criss - Cross sextet - Austria

02.08.2008
Martines-Yotsov quintet - Bulgaria-Netherlands
ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE JAZZ - France

03.08.2008

Ondrej Pivec Quartet - Czech Republic
Christof Lauer-Antoni Donchev - Germany-Bulgaria
Carlama Orkestar - Netherlands
 
16 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2007
02.08.2007

Angel Zaberski Quartet
Bulgaria
Harry Tavitian/Orient Express
Romania

03.08.2007

Borislav Yasenov
Quartet
Bulgaria
Zoltan Lantos/Acoustic Version Trio
Hungary / Bulgaria

04.08.2007

Eric Vloeimans/Antony Donchev
Switzerland / Bulgaria
Colorphone/Denis Colin Quartet
France

05.08.2007

Quantet
Austria
Stoyan Yankoulov Project
Bulgaria / Australia /Burkina Faso
 
15 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2006
03.08.2006

1. Antoni Donchev-Zoltan Lantos-Gergana Velinova - Bulgaria-Hungary-USA
2. Theodosii Spassov quartet - Bulgaria-Serbia-Macedonia

04.08.2006

1. Wladigeroff Quintet - Bulgaria-Austria-Ukraina
2. Hristo Yotsov-Eric Prost quartet - Bulgaria-France

05.08.2006

1. Wolfang Puschnig Trio -Austria
2- Stoyan Yancoulov- Steve Slagle-Jaison Carder quintet
- Bulgaria-USA

06.08.2006

1. Sylvain Beuf trio -France
2-Anatoly Vapirov –BLACK SEA project
Symphony orchestra Varna Philharmonic
Soloist-Wladigeroff,Carder,Slagle,Prozorov,
Yotsov,Kuznetsov,Yancoulov,Veselinov
-Bulgaria,Austria,USA,Ukraina
14 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2005
28.07.2005

1-Dodo Sosoka Quartet -Slovak Republic-Serbia
2-Stoyan Yancoulov project -Bulgaria

29.07.2005

1-Acoustic Version Trio -Bulgaria
2-Andrei Razin SECOND APPROACH -Russia

30.07.2005

1-Eberhard Weber -Germany
2-Georgy Borisov
All Stars Big-Band -Bulgaria

31.07.2005

1-Jiri Stivin-Ali Haurand - Chech Republic-Germany
2-Vapirov-Lechner-Tang-Yancoulov quartet –Austria-Bulgaria
 
13 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2004
29.07.2004

Bodurov-Duppe-Heineking Trio
Bulgaria-Germany
Bennie Maupin-Christo Yotsov Project
USA-Bulgaria

30.07.2004

Art Jazz Folk Group Trigon
Moldova
Vapirov-Donchev-Tarasov-Volkov
Bulgaria-Lithuania-Russia

31.07.2004

Petras Vysniauskas
Miklosh Skuta
Lithuania-Slovakia
Julien Lourau quintet
France

1.08.2004

AAB trio
Scotland
Mirror Of Memory III
Vapirov International Big-Band
Bulgaria-Romania-USA-Lithuania-Hungary-Russia-Turky–Austria-Germany
 
12 VARNA SUMMER JAZZ PROGRAMING 2003

This is the programing (as planned at this moment) of the Varna Summer International Jazz festival 2003:

FRIDAY 01 AUGUST 2003:

  • Stoyan Yankoulov Percussion Project Drumboy (Bulgaria)
  • Nikos Touliatis Percussion Assembly "Echodrasis" (Greece)

SATURDAY 02 AUGUST 2003:

  • Artur Dutkevitch Trio (Poland)
  • Vienna Art Orchestra - Duke Ellinton's Sound Of Love (Austria)

SUNDAY 03 AUGUST 2003:

  • Pulle Pheto - FRANCINE LUCE ( Great Britain )
  • Vilnius Lazz Quartet and Neda ( Lithuania )

Be aware, Some changes may occur. Check here frequently to see if that is the case! As soon as possible the line up of the musicians performing as written above will be place on this web page under "2003" at the year-menu on the left of this page.