MOSCOW, June 19 (RIA Novosti) - International jazz festival Koktebel Jazz Party is becoming one of the biggest events in Crimean cultural life and will draw music lovers from around the world, representatives of the International Information News Agency Rossiya Segodnya and other organizers of the event said at a news conference Thursday.
Scheduled for September 12-15, the festival is to become Crimea's first large-scale international cultural event, Dmitry Kiselev, the Director General of Rossiya Segodnya said.
"I, along with my Ukrainian friends, organized the Koktebel Jazz Festival in 2003. Since then, jazz has been played at Koktebel every year. The 12th edition of the festival was scheduled to take place this year [in Koktebel] but because of the well-known events the [organizers] were forced to relocate it to the Odessa region. Koktebel cannot be left without jazz, and thanks to the Koktebel Jazz Party, jazz is gaining fresh momentum in Crimea," Kiselev said.
"The Koktebel festival always had some slogans that I would come up with from time to time. This time I defined [the slogan] as "strings and keys are better than firing hammers and triggers." Jazz is honest music that cannot be played to a backing track," the head of Rossiya Segodnya said.
The upcoming event, organized by the International Information News Agency Rossiya Segodnya, was supported by Russia's Ministry of Culture.
"This year is the Year of Culture in Russia so of course we are trying to support all landmark initiatives," which is why the ministry "couldn't say no" to Kiselev when he asked it for help, Deputy Culture Minister Yelena Milovzorova said.
"I'm inviting everyone to Koktebel. Crimea is indeed our priority region now. And I believe this project, launched this year - the Year of Culture - will be held every year in Koktebel, the gem not only of Crimea but also of Russia," Milovzorova added.
Despite the difficult political situation, the organizers have not had any issues preparing the Koktebel Jazz Party, art director Mikhail Ikonnikov said.
"There are a lot of international bands [to perform] and no problems with invitations," the art director noted.
Some of the brightest stars of the jazz world are planning to participate in Crimea's festival such as the US trumpeter Tom Harrell, singer Deborah Brown and drummer Jamal Thomas, quintet Maraca & Ramon from Cuba, Russian jazz legend Valery Ponomaryov and pianist Yakov Okun, according to the art director.
