The program

Every year, the programme invariably features several main trends.
On the one hand - presentation of the historic roots of jazz. Standard, blues, bebop, swing, Dixieland… On the other – the modern face of “free music”. Although completely different in character, ethno-styles too, have found a place the festival programme. The Krakatau Band from Indonesia, Yehya Khalil Band from Egypt, the local Bulgara, as well as Stoyan and Elitza who were on stage for the premiere of Drumboy. In the ninth edition of the festival Vlatko Stefanovski, Miroslav Tadic and Theodossi Spassov appeared together on stage the first time before Bulgarian audiences, and the music from their project Third Mother, is still touring the world stages.

More than twenty different big bands have played Bansko over the years. Besides the traditional participants from the Big Band of Bulgarian National Radio under the baton of Yanko Miladinov, who usually open the event, notable guest performers include the big formations of Vili Kazasian, Georgi Borisssov, Angel Zaberski, several orchestras from Germany, including the IKS Big Band. And during the tenth festival edition audiences were able to hear the arguably most unusual orchestra in the history of the festival – the SHAPE International Big Band, which is part of the official orchestra representing NATO.