JAZZDOR STRASBOURG-BUDAPEST
22-25 March 2023
BMC – Opus Jazz Club

From 22 to 25 March, the first special edition of the Jazzdor Festival in Budapest will take place at Opus Jazz Club, where the philosophy of French creative jazz will meet the work of Hungarian and international artists associated with Budapest Music Center. The concert series, realised as an international collaboration, is the greatest jazz event of the BMC's last decade.

For more than three and a half decades, the Strasbourg-based Jazzdor Festival has been one of the most important events on the European jazz scene, both professionally and in terms of audience success. After Berlin, Budapest is the second city to host a special edition of the festival, giving BMC the opportunity to showcase its activities, French and German links during a major event. The eight concerts feature musicians of different nationalities, but six of them will be either productions of BMC or artists also associated with BMC.

On 22 March, Vincent Courtois' new trio Twigs will open the festival. Their irresistibly intimate and hauntingly poetic music echoes everything from traditional jazz to contemporary classical music to shamanistic folk. The second guest on the opening day is Clément Janinet's quartet O.U.R.S., who released their highly successful album on BMC Records in September 2022. Their sound blends American contemporary repetitive music, free jazz in the spirit of Ornette, and a rock vibe, but also hints of African trance and liturgical chant.

On 23 March, two vocal performances will enchant the audience of Opus. Ann O'aro's visceral songs are as pleasing as mesmerising. The singer draws mainly on the folk culture of her homeland, Réunion; her exotic and airy music radiates incredible power. In the translucent songs of Gábor Gadó and Veronika Harcsa, not only the different musical parts but also elements of early and contemporary music are woven into an organic whole, while the dialectic of composition and improvisation is dissolved in a dialogue between classical and jazz musicians.

On 24 March, Hans Lüdemann's TransEurope Express octet will make a pilgrimage to another periphery of the old continent to bring the audience a tangible experience of the clash of musical elements and cultural backgrounds. They will be joined by Italian accordionist Luciano Biondini. Lüdemann and Biondini, first as a duo and then together with the musicians of TransEurope Express, will step out of their comfort zone of familiar styles and explore new directions.

On 25 March, Swedish-born, French-based singer Isabel Sörling will wander freely between improvisation, folk and avant-garde. Her world, a unique blend of perfection and fragility, is complemented by the highly popular and acclaimed jazz saxophonist Sylvain Rifflet, whose virtuosic and energetic yet emotional music draws on the work of Stan Getz and American repetitive and minimalist music, with occasional experiments in trance and noise.

Related programs:

22 March 8 PM Jazzdor Strasbourg-Budapest | Vincent Courtois - Sanne Rambags - Julian Sartorius (NL/FR/CH) | O.U.R.S. (FR)
23 March 8 PM Jazzdor Strasbourg-Budapest | Ann O'aro Trio (FR) | Gadó Gábor - Harcsa Veronika Sextet (HU/BE)
24 March 8 PM Jazzdor Strasbourg-Budapest | Biondini - Lüdemann Duo (DE/IT) | Hans Lüdemann TEE feat. Luciano Biondini (DE/FR/IT)
25 March 8 PM Jazzdor Strasbourg-Budapest | Isabel Sörling Solo (SE) | Sylvain Rifflet: Aux anges (FR)

Tickets are available for 3900 HUF on the spot, online at bmc.jegy.hu, and at InterTicket Jegypont partners across Hungary.

Photo: Sanne Rambags by István Huszti for BMC