Help Vitalize Nine Bulgarian Villages

This year's edition of the Jazz festival was an experience with variable colours and emotions. There was a bit of everything: from the glitter of stars, through the glamour of summer sunshine and the cool fascination of the mid-summer rain.

On Friday afternoon (27.06.2025), the festival started with a meeting of directors and organizers of some of the Bulgarian jazz festivals: A to Jazz, Bansko Jazz Fest, Jazz Across the Country, Plovdiv Jazz Fest and Jazz +. The meeting shared the experience and challenges facing the organizers and discussed strategies for partnership and interaction between them. Specific steps were identified for joining efforts in advertising, inviting performers and holding festivals. The meeting was moderated by Iva Taralezhkova - creator of the festival "Jazz under the Stars on the Devetaki Plateau", and took place at the Old Mill Cultural and Information Center in the village of Karpachevo.

The first festival evening (27.06.2025) began immediately after the discussion with a concert by the Angel Zaberski Trio - featuring Angel Zaberski, Boris Taslev and Stoyan Yankulov-Stundzhi. On the stage under the stars in the former school - yard in the village of Karpachevo, works by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, Tchaikovsky and other classics were played, arranged in the spirit of contemporary jazz, presented with great finesse and artistic mastery. The evening continued until late with a jam session led by the music director Ventsi Blagoev, and it included Angel Zaberski trio, Vasil Spasov, Ventsi Blagoev, Mihail Ivanov-Misho, Petar Terziev, Dimitar Blagoev, Atanas Popov and several audience participants.

The second day (28.06.2025) was organized in three parts:

A vocal workshop with Vesela Morova, which brought together over 20 people in the artistic space of the Old Mill - young people involved in music, but also singing enthusiasts interested in developing their vocal abilities. In a very professional, yet accessible way, Vesela Morova introduced the participants to the circle singing concept and demonstrated how easy it is to improvise with the voice in such an environment.  All the participants sang in a circle and had fun together, getting to know jazz not as a complex and difficult-to-reach music, but as an opportunity to share musical ideas and express themselves freely.

The sunny day in the Old Mill continued with a magnificent lecture by Scottish pianist Steve Hamilton, who spoke about his rich creative path, his collaborations with stars such as Billy Cobham, Peter King, as well as about the unexpected meetings, gifts of fate that he received along the way. The lecture was aimed at the general public and was entertaining, still educational and informative. Over 30 participants heard from Steve Hamilton interesting facts from the history of jazz music and the collaboration between world-famous and Bulgarian musicians.

At the evening concert on the stage of the meadow between the villages of Gorsko Slivovo and Karpachevo, over 18 stars of Bulgarian jazz, in various formations and projects, met. The concert began with the now traditional Dixieland procession led by Ventsi Blagoev, which symbolically started from the entrance to the Garvanitsa cave and went around the entire crowded meadow. The concert continued with original performances by Stefan Goranov and Krasimir Zafirov, who presented some of their latest compositions.

Due to a sudden change in the weather - heavy rain and stormy wind, the program had to be temporarily suspended. But thanks to the good organization and the second option planned in advance, the team and volunteers reacted calmly and without panic. They helped the musicians and the audience to move from the meadow and the concert continued in the yard of the former school in the village of Karpachevo - Ongle complex, a partner in holding the festival.

After the change of stage, the concert continued with the Vasil Spasov Quartet consisting of Vasil Spasov – piano, Mihail Ivanov-Misho – double bass and Atanas Popov – drums, with the participation of the young vocalist Petar Terziev. They presented Vasil Spasov’s new project – the album “Picture A Samba”, which will be released on CD in September.

Another highlight and goal of the festival evening was the wonderful opportunity for creative interaction between young talented musicians and their experienced and established colleagues. The concert included names such as Vesela Morova, Ventsislav Blagoev, Neyko Bodurov, Steve Hamilton, Neviliyan Gemijev, and, on the other hand, talented young performers such as Krasimir Zafirov, Petar Terziev, Nedelcho Ninov and Tsvetomir Radev. All participants who create original music presented it within the framework of the festival, which added to the quality of the program and the creation of a strong connection between musicians and the audience. And after the concert, the evening continued with a jam session in the school yard in the village of Karpachevo.

On Sunday morning (29.06.2025) the musical matinee "Jazz for Children" was held - an author's project of Ventsislav Blagoev and the "Jazztet" foundation. It was aimed at children and their parents from the villages in the region and from the nearby cities: Pleven, Gabrovo, Lovech, Troyan, Pavlikeni and Levski. This event was held for the fourth time in the Devetashko plateau under the expert leadership of Ventsislav Blagoev and was eagerly awaited, especially by young families with children from the region. With great enthusiasm and skillful interaction, the musicians of the format invited the youngest to join in another jazz adventure – with singing, dancing and percussions, which were given to them. They were joined on the stage by some of the other musicians participating in the festival and the sunny Sunday turned into a musical celebration – an emotional end to the eleventh edition of the festival.

The current edition of the festival was held with the financial support of the National Culture Fund, the municipalities of Letnitsa, Lovech and Sevlievo, the companies "Vertical 90" EOOD, "Lagermax Logistics Bulgaria" EOOD, Pivovarna Karpachevo EOOD, Odaya EOOD, Wine Cellar Varbovka and you - our numerous individual donors.

Thank you, dear friends, and stay with us!!!

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