The festival has gained renown in and far outside of Russia with the years, and the Moscow Jazz Journalism Association qualified it as the year's central jazz gala on two occasions, the steering committee proudly said to Novosti.
The present festival is dedicated to William "Count" Basie's birth centenary. The Oleg Lundstrem band, led by Georgy Garanyan, and Andrei Machnev's Kid Big Band, of Rostov-on-Don in the Russian south, are ready with memorial programs.
Also representing the host country will be Herman Lukyanov's ensemble Millennium 2000; Sergei Pron, virtuoso bugler of Yekaterinburg in the Urals; a quintet led by young Anna Koroleva, saxophone; and a band under Moscow's Evgeni Ryaboi, percussion.
Celebrated American Dennis Rowland, vocal, will appear with the Estonian Dream Big Band. He used to sing for the Count Basie band.
Famous American bugler Eddy Henderson will appear with a quartet led by pianist Yakov Okun of Moscow.
Argentine star Alexandra Martin will sing with a Spanish-Argentine quintet to premiere her latest program.
Nikolai Gromin, guitar, is coming from Denmark for the festival. The Soviet jazz superstar settled in that country twenty-five years ago.
Israeli and Swiss bands will also appear in the Hermitage garden.
