45th Skopje Jazz Festival opens with Zlatko Kaučič; record participation from 13 countries

The 45th Skopje Jazz Festival opens tonight, October 15, at the National Opera and Ballet with Slovenian percussionist, drummer and composer Zlatko Kaučič. He will perform with his group Combo BC and the project Bravery of the Brave.

Eight main concerts, three midnight shows and artists from 13 countries

Following Kaučič on the opening evening is tenor-saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Leonhard Skorupa, who leads the internationally formed Quispel Quintet. For the festival Skorupa was commissioned to write a new piece and will expand his basic quintet by adding three Macedonian musicians — Bozhidar Peić (cello), Bojan Talevski (viola) and Gjorgji Petrushevski (oboe) — to appear together as the Quispel Octet.

The midnight slot on the first night is reserved for the Italian‑American duo of vibraphonist Pasquale Mira and percussionist Hamid Drake, widely regarded as a leading figure on the improvised jazz scene.

On October 16 the program includes a set by the Norwegian duo Eivind Orset (guitar, electronics) and Jan Bang (live sampling). From Iceland come composer and bass guitarist Skuli Sverison and composer‑multi‑instrumentalist Olof Arnalds. The midnight concert that night is dedicated to the Punkt festival from Kristiansand and will feature its founders Jan Bang and Erik Honoré.

October 17 opens with a concert by a Macedonian quintet led by vocalist Andrea Mirchevska and her project Lullaby for Lunatics. At 22:00 South African composer and pianist Nduduzo Makhathini—who has recorded for Blue Note—will perform. At midnight the small stage at the National Opera and Ballet will host the Musho project by British composer‑pianist‑organist Alexander Hawkins and Swedish vocalist Sofia Jernberg.

The festival’s final evening, October 18, brings the Brazilian‑American trio Sao Paulo Underground, noted for stretching the possibilities of electroacoustic composition and spontaneous composition. The festival will close with a concert by the quintet Living Being led by French harmonica player Vincent Peirani; there will be no midnight concert on the last night.

This year the Skopje Jazz Festival presents a record number of performers from 13 countries. Over four days the program comprises eight main concerts, held at 20:00 and 22:00 on the big stage at the National Opera and Ballet, plus three midnight concerts that—unlike previous years at the Cultural Center (MKC)—will take place on a specially prepared small stage inside the National Opera and Ballet.

Photo: press material from the event