Cullum, Payton, Dulfer, Porter at 2016 Jazz Fest, Joint-Organized by TBC
Tbilisi Jazz Festival 2016, featuring Jamie Cullum, the Nicholas Payton Trio, Candy Dulfer and Gregory Porter, sold-out, proving that Georgians, without any exaggeration, are among the most musical nations. Four memorable jazz days on November 10-13 filled Tbilisi Concert Hall and Event Hall with a multitude of precious melodies, voices and sounds!
Opening the Festival was Jamie Cullum, a 36-year-old British composer, singer and pianist, and the youngest performer at the Tbilisi jazz event, who said, “I like to use the moment to invent when I am on stage.” He went on to reveal he was inspired to come to Georgia by close friend Katie Melua, well-known Georgian-born British female singer, who reportedly told Jamie that he would love the country.
Jamie appeared on stage with extraordinary energy, shifting from one instrument to the other, even climbing up on the grand-piano, dancing non-stop, to the delight of the audience. Jamie has all the features of a pop star and more – he is a genius in terms of voice, playing, and improvisation.
On November 11, Nicholas Payton, a multi-instrumentalist and Trumpet Master, one of the greatest masters of our time, stepped on stage with his trio-mates, Vicente Archer on Bass and Joe Dyson on Drums. Nicholas served as Distinguished Artist at Tulane University and has taught master classes, clinics and workshops at over 40 institutions, including Berklee College of Music, The Connecticut Forum (with Beverly Sills, Bobby Weir and Trey Anastasio), and Cornell University. Founder of the Black American Music Movement, Payton says his mission is to go back in history to extract the richness and lost knowledge of the past in order to elevate today’s consciousness.
Candy Dulfer&Band on November 12 presented the most joyful and light performance with the female soloist showing off her great class in saxophone and her cheerful character. The Dutch musician presented “Lily was Here,” her most famous hit, and got the audience moving with a number of unknown songs and covers.
On November 13, Gregory Porter, one of the best jazz vocalists in the world, capped Tbilisi Jazz Festival 2016 with his magic voice, virtuously blending Funk, Blues, Soul and R&B.
GEORGIA TODAY heard from Tamara Kirvalidze, TBC Bank Communications Head: "The partnership of TBC Status and Eastern Promotion counts six years. In addition to offering our clients beneficial terms for attending the concerts, we are glad to promote jazz culture in the country. Year on year the number of people who attend jazz concerts is increasing. This, first of all, is a result of Eastern Promotion’s well designed high-quality concert programs. We fully rely on them in planning Festivals and Jazz Series- they are the number one company with highly proficient staff. The latter was an essential factor for TBC Bank when we decided to partner with them. Throughout these years we have grown into one team and this is most positively reflected in the quality of Jazz Series and Jazz Festivals organized."
Maka Lomadze