The city of Smolyan may not be a crossing point of roads leading to the most exciting happeinings in the cultural world. But this charming place, tucked between the smooth hills of the Rhodope mountains, is having its two-week peak of fame for a fourth year. From July 7 to 20, Smolyan is hosting an international ethno-jazz festival.

As in previous years, the programme of the festival includes traditional musical performances by international jazz musicians, debuts of new project bands and jam sessions, complemented by a photo exhibition, a fashion show, humorous acting, workshops and movie projections included in the framework of the event.

The festival brings together participants from three continents, who contribute to the programme with various musical themes from their native countries.

Bulgarian participation in the festival is exemplified by the Hristo Yotsov quintet, Dimitur Liolev’s fusion group, the Dirty Purchase band, beatboxers, among which the 19-year-old Alexander Deyanov and winner of the Nescafe national beatboxing competition in 2007, as well as famous jazz musicians Milcho Leviev and Vicky Almazidou, together with Greek guest-pianist Giorgos Kontrafouris.

Among the performers will be Italian band Unit Five with bassist Massimiliano Rolf, tenor saxophonist Sftefano Riggi, trumpet player Gianpierro Lo Bello and guitar player Massimo Curro. The band combines composing, arrangement, improvising and grooving, the band's creator Rolf says.

Twenty-year-old Dutch saxophone player Ben van Gelder will entertain spectators on July 10. Born in the family of a musicshop-owner and a music teacher, he says he was destined to become a jazz musician. Van Gelder is a laureate of many prestigious awards, the latest being the Deloitte Jazz Award in 2007.

Dutch presence on July Jazz Smolyan 2008 continues with jazz singer Brenda Frans and guitar player Rob Elfrink, who have been performing together since 2003. The duo makes not only classic jazz music, but incorporates pop or Brazilian rhythms into their songs.

Guest participation of musicians from Burkina Faso will add an exotic flavour to the festival’s programme on July 19. Visitors can enjoy the performance of the band Percussion Mania, which works with traditional West-African rhythms. The creator of the group, balophone player Mamadou Diabate, composes and teaches music in workshops, where he acquaints people with African music culture. Other members of the band are Louis Sanou, who plays the balophone and the jembe, and Karim Sanou, a jembe player whose musical spectrum also includes the dundun (bass drum), the lunga (talking drum) and the ngoni (hunter harp).

Scandinavian participant in July Jazz Smolyan 2008 will be the Norwegian tenor saxophonist, composer and goat horn player, Karl Seglem, who will perform jointly with Bulgarian musicians in a jazz trio. Seglem is famous in Norway and abroad for deriving inspiration for his compositions and improvisations from Norwegian folk music.

Another innovative project, JazzMixCulture, which will be presented on the stage of Smolyan’s Amphitheatre on July 16, is the partnership of Bulgarian jazz musician Dimitar Liolev’s fusion band and the Turkish group Kackar Illusion.

An attraction for visitors to the ethno-jazz festival will be the workshops lead by the musicians themselves. Anyone who is interested to try the courses can choose from a wide range of activities, including folklore singing, bagpipe playing, African instruments (balophone and jembe) playing, iconography, painting and plastics, jazz improvisations, electronic composition, beatboxing and others.

Children are also provided with a special workshop that will accentuate on developing their abilities for intercultural dialogue, tolerance and teamwork by inviting them to create a joint musical or art product in small groups. The goal of the children’s workshop will be provoking their interest in the historical heritage and in the unique features of their specific cultural identity, as well as searching for an innovative way of building the bridge between tradition and modern times, organisers say.

For more information on the programme of July Jazz Smolyan 2008 festival and the participants, readers can view the official website of the event, julyjazzbg.com.