[Shaneygrog]

The music festivals I usually go to aren't jazz festivals, however I did go to the Wangaratta Jazz Festival once, a few years back. Wang is a great town in regional Victoria (Aust) with good warm spring weather when the festival is held. There are various venues around the town, they even used a large church and I remember seeing a 3 piece band there, from the US I think, and you could imagine the acoustics being pretty good in there. My favorite was an outdoor stage by a big park with some more soul/funk type of bands playing. Definitely worth a look for those down under at that time of year and who love their jazz live.

 

[whaler]

San Jose had a great jazz festival I played with the late drummer Eddie Marshall. A bunch of outdoor stages and free to the public. Always some great headliners.
Detroit has a good festival with some of their great homegrown talent returning to play, like Rick Margitza.

 

[NostalgiaSmith]

A close friend used to be one of the stage managers at Montreux, and so it was always great going there.

Bratislava Jazz Days: it was nearly thirty years ago that I went, but it had a great mix of Czech and Slovak jazz and jazz/folk talent. And it's a beautiful town on the Danube with an impressive castle.
I believe it's been going over forty years, and has become more international in recent years: Toots Thielemans, Jack DeJohnette, el al.

 

[paulwl]

This information is dated, but I also have gone to the Copenhagen jazz festival. At the time, most events happened in different clubs and locations around the city vs. having a fenced, enclosed venue. There are a lot of outdoors (free) concerts. My significant other and I just drank a lot of beer and sat on sidewalks and grass for several days and were never bored. Backpacked. Stayed in what might be charitably called a B&B. Very cheap trip, not only with the jazz festival but Copenhagen, as a city, is a good hang. Plenty of other things to do outside of the festival activities.

I did Cph in 2005 (posted several reviews here on SOTW…search [ copenhagen ] and my handle) and it was immensely enjoyable.

Unlike big single-venue festivals, Jazzfest in Cph WAS the city…music was literally all over, small rooms and great halls as well as public stages. Much of it free of charge or just for a drink minimum. And no need to confine oneself to the world known stars that appeared: the Danish musicians were excellent and embraced many genres.

And hallelujah: NO NONJAZZ HEADLINE ACTS!

I hope nothing's changed in that "friendly old girl of a town"!

 

[Grumps]

For me a good festival has a great line up and is in a scenic place with good food and other sites. Some good suggestions here!

Though not technically a jazz festival, the U.S. Navy Band sponsors a Saxophone Symposium every January that features two days of various musical events with saxophone college quartets from around the country, clinics and lectures from top educators, recitals from players all over the world culminating with the Navy Jazz Band performing with a guest star. Past guest stars at the event have been Branford Marsalis, Eddie Daniels, and Chris Potter. There is no charge for any event/concert/lecture and a good group of us from the site get together each year to socialize and many members have either performed or hosted a clinic. Next January it's moving back to Fairfax Virginia, which is just outside of DC.

http://www.navyband.navy.mil/saxophone_symposium.html

 

[Roundmidnite]

I hadn't checked this for awhile and there are so many great places to go- so hard to decide! Looking at next year, actually. Anything going on in London the first week of August?

 

[Mark]

I'll vote for my local Ottawa Jazz Festival, if only because I'm playing in it next weekend. :mrgreen:

And our fest still has some jazz, though tonight's main stage headliner is Sarah McLachlan. Wynton has a group coming in next week, and we also have John Scofield with Joe Levano, and Chick Corea as well.

Our Bluesfest hasn't had much blues in the past decade, though in the 90's it rose to become the 2nd largest blues fest in N. America. Now the headliners are either classic rock acts or kid stuff like Kanye or Skrillex. (I feel old...)

 

[Roundmidnite]

Jazz festivals in Italy:How is the Roma Jazz Festival? Also- Umbria appears to have one in the winter and one in the summer- is this correct? Any others in Italy to recommend?

 

[Gange]

Like Gary wrote: Copenhagen Jazz festival is a blast. The whole city is literally marinated in jazz. Approximately 1000 acts in ten days says it all. Everything from expensive concerts with international jazz celebrities to free (really good) concerts in the streets and in clubs. Jam sessions at a handful of places to finish off the nights.

Also check out the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam. I haven't been there myself, though.

 

[Hipparion]

I didn't go to many jazz festivals, but I think these (all in Europe) are really nice:

- Jazz a Montauban (France)
- Jazz in Marciac (France)
- San Javier (Spain)

And, for a jazz-adjacent festivals, I discovered quite recently a small scale version of the Serbian festival ''Guča Trumpet Festival'' (ok it's more for brass lovers, I know, I know... but even Miles Davis discovered things by going there). And I must say, that ought to be quite interesting !

 

[anitje]

I am more partial to the newer ones and the medium-sized ones. The huge, established ones tend to veer away from their original mission and become more about marketing the product. But to each his/her own.....

 

[Roundmidnite]

Has anyone been to the San Javier jazz festival in Spain? What time of year is it?