A few years ago, Vojislav Pantić and Dragan Kremer told me about their plans to revive the Belgrade Jazz Festival, during our merry gatherings at the Jazz a Viennese festival in France. Their great vision and enthusiasm piqued my interest so much that I gladly accepted their invitation to attend last year's rebirth of the festival. Accompanying me was celebrated jazz photographer Tim Dickeson.
The festival was a revelation. I knew something about the glorious days from 1971 to 1990, when Belgrade organized one of the best jazz festivals in Europe. There were regular reports from the festival in jazz magazines. Recordings of some of the most exciting concerts could be found on tapes and LPs. I was aware that successful festival performances had launched Yugoslav musicians such as Duško Gojković, Boško Petrović and Stjepko Gut into the jazz orbit - to gain international fame.
But I was not prepared for the extraordinary quality and stylistic diversity of musicians from the Balkans. Pianists Matija Dedić and Vlada Maričić, the Bata Božanić Jazz Quintet and the Italian group Nicola Conte Jazz Combo left a strong impression by seasoning solid jazz virtues with local musical tastes. The final impression was equally rapturous outside the festival - where I enjoyed the stimulating passion of the Roma band KAL and the eclectic pop satire of Rambo Amadeus. These wonderful discoveries made my stay in Belgrade extra special and cemented my decision to come again this year.
And other factors made me come back, again in tandem with Tim. Everything was extremely well organized - by a small group of dedicated enthusiasts and experts. The warm welcome and hospitality extended to the foreign guests by everyone - from the festival organizers to the local people - was truly exceptional. Good attendance, warm reception and acceptance of all bands showed the evident desire of the audience for jazz masters. First of all, the program in its scope and quality was really outstanding, despite the budget constraints and the short time to prepare the festival.
It is essential to continue on the trail of this success, realizing the importance of a successful, major festival for economy, cultural life and international relations. More needs to be done to advertise the festival: earlier and much more widely. The festival could attract many guests from abroad, if they received information about the program early enough to plan their arrival. They also need information related to travel, accommodation and external attractions (theatre, art, historical places...). It is true, now there are certain financial restrictions, but potential patrons and sponsors should be convinced of the immense benefits of the fact that Belgrade will once again be recognized as one of the main European jazz centers.
The progress made in just the first two years since the relaunch of the festival is impressive. This is clear from the improved and seductive program this year. If this impulse is maintained and developed in the coming years, the festival will be able to regain its former high positions, quality and charm of its initial status. And then, Belgrade will once again be a natural center for world jazz attractions and, just as importantly, it will function as ShowCase and as a window to the world for the best musicians from the Balkans.
