Jazz Across the Water - Bodrum Jazz Festival & Rhodes Jazz Festival

The Bodrum Jazz Festival in Turkey and the Rhodes International Jazz Festival on the Greek island, have announced a collaboration as “sister festivals”.

Bodrum and Rhodes are only 60 miles (96 kilometers) apart, the journey by ferry boat takes about two and a half hours. Both have an active and international yachting culture and attract tourists from all over the world.

Ozlem Oktar Varoglu , the Founder, and Tugce Alpaslan, the Director of the Ankara and Bodrum Jazz Festivals, reached out to Dimitrios Vassilakis Founder and Artistic Director of the Rhodes International Jazz Festival to work together in bringing Greek jazz musicians to perform in Turkey and Turkish jazz musicians to perform in Greece.

Jazz is a truly an international language and for musicians from one country to perform in a neighboring country reinforces the premise that we have much in common. This collaboration can expand the horizons of musicians in both countries promote them internationally and engage in educational activities, open discussions and forums.

The Rhodes International Jazz Festival will take place from August 28th through August 30th, performances will take place in the courtyard of the Palace of the Knights and the Moat outside the medieval city, as well as other outdoor locations.

The festival will feature a yet to be announced Turkish group named Ayhan Sicimoğlu & Latin All Stars feat. Buzuki Orhan, the Manos Saridakis trio, the Dimitri Vassilakis Quartet, a group headed by English saxophonist Andy Sheppard, and an ensemble of young musicians from Rhodes.

The festival has the support of the Municipality of Rhodes, the Prefecture of the South Aegean, and is under the auspices of the Greek Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture and Tourism.

The Bodrum Festival takes place from September 1st through September 9th, with the theme of Ethnic Jazz. The Dimitri Vassilakis Quartet will perform on September 2nd presenting his award winning “Daedalus Project – Labyrinth” album and Vassilakis will conduct several workshops and master classes. Please see the Bodrum Jazz Festival website for listings of entire the festival program. www.bodrumcazfest.org

http://www.dimitriosvassilakis.com