The great outdoors, well-known landmarks, and unusual venues are all home to the summer's diverse program of jazz festivals and concerts. We outline some of the available options below.

JAZZx has started in Timișoara as part of the city's European Capital of Culture program and is set to deliver five days of great music and good vibes. It's the 11th edition of the festival, which aims to explore a diverse range of styles, from modern jazz and fusion to soul. Until July 2nd, the public can see Shakti [John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Ganesh Rajagopalan, Selvaganesh Vinayakram], Thundercat, Ezra Collective, Bilal, Ibeyi, The Comet Is Coming, Ben l'Oncle, Tigran Hamasyan, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Mammal Hands, Andrei Petrache Trio, Acetobă feat Arcus̗, Blue Noise, Luiza Zan Quintet, Vandercris, Tongue FU feat Joshua Idehen, Jan Blake, Belinda Zhawi, Stephen James Smith, Dumitru Fanfarov, Lena Chilari, Ligia Keșișian & Mugur Grosu.

The event takes place in the city's Liberty Square. Entrance is free of charge. 

Local groups are scheduled to perform every evening, while several jazz sessions take place in the yard of Cazarma U, which will see performances from Psihodrom, A-C Leonte & The Bash and Soccer96.

The program is available here.

The 27th edition of the well-known Gărâna Jazz Festival brings to Poiana Lupului in Garâna Austrian trombone player Paul Zauner, who will perform in a quarter with American pianist Carlton Holmes, Austrian bassist Wolfram Derschmidt, and Serbian drummer Dusan Navokov.

The jazz, rock, gospel and soul singer Dean Bowman will perform alongside Serbian pianist Vasil Hadžimanov, contrabassist Nimrod Speaks, and drummer Ronnie Burrage. Known for his expressive voice, Bowman previously collaborated with musicians such as Don Byron, John Scofield, Reggie Workman, Charlie Hunter, Bernie Worell, Steve Coleman, MeShell Ndegeoshello, and many more.

Also at the event, the young generation of Romanian jazz musicians, represented by Marquis Noir and Marta Popovici, will perform on the stage inside the Catholic Church in Văliug.

This year's lineup also includes Marcin Pater Trio, Leszek Możdżer, Marcin Wasilewski Trio, Blazzaj, Paul Zauner Quartet, Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr feat Jörg Brinkmann, 7th SENSE, JazzyBIT, Per Mathisen & Jan Gunnar Hoff feat Nguyên Lê & Gary Husband, Rebekka Bakken Band, Daniel Herskedal Trio, and more.

The festival, known for its scenic setting and diverse programming, runs from July 5th to July 9th. More about the program here.

Smida Jazz, a self-defined niche festival promoting contemporary jazz, takes place between August 18th and August 20th in Smida, a village in Cluj county, in the Apuseni Nature Park. The event combines good music with incredible landscapes for three days of "calm, energy, inspiration, and musical discoveries."

The lineup brings together European and Latin American sensibilities to explore sounds removed from the mainstream. It includes Oceanvs Orientalis & Ilhan Ersahin, Guillaume Perret – Simplify, Norwegian sax player Håkon Kornstad, British saxophonist, improviser, producer, composer Lara Jones, Danish band Girls in Airports, Norzeatic & Qinta Spartă, and more.

The festival also plans a lineup of speakers in its Grow section, which tackles current topics and inspiring activities. Children younger than 14 can attend the festival free of charge, accompanied by an adult.

The program is available here.

In Cluj-Napoca, Jazz in the Park is planning a 2023 edition with a lineup that includes The Cinematic Orchestra, Mulatu Astatke, Billy Cobham, Fun Lovin' Criminals and Martina Topley-Bird. The event, scheduled to take place between September 1st and September 3rd in the city's Romulus Vuia Ethnographic Park, will also feature Alexandru Andrieș, The Heliocentrics, Ada Milea, Mansur Brown, Tatran, Mörk, Daykoda, 7th Sense and Jazzybit.

The festival held its first edition in 2013, when it gave the community the right to step on the grass in Central Park back. It was the first event held in the venue after a long period. Since 2020, the organizers have focused on the Ethnographic Park.

Meanwhile, the Jazz in the Park Competition is currently ongoing in the city, with 17 jazz groups from 10 countries in the final. The winners of the first two places will perform at the September jazz festival. The competition, held after a three-year break, brings to Cluj artists from France, Hungary, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, Croatia, The Netherlands, and Japan. Besides the finalists, every evening will see established artists take the event's stage, among them Shay Hazan, Mădălina Pavăl Orchestra and Takuya Kuroda, the Japanese trumpeter who performs in the country for the first time.

More details about the festival here.

The tenth edition of Jazz at Bran Castle will deliver a lineup of artists from 13 countries between August 25th and August 27th. The event will have three stages - for artists from Israel, Italy, the UK, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria, Germany, Switzerland and Canada - and will offer a series of new projects with nu-jazz, experimental, fusion, and rock influences.

The festival will open with a concert by Israel's Ofer Mizrahi Trio, followed by the Ziv Ravitz Trio, known for their unique way of combining the sound of the guitar, the saxophone, and the drum rhythm.

The next day, the Evangelical Church in Râșnov will host performances from Kit Downes, Hayden Chisholm and Vox Balkanum Female Choir. Access to this concert is free of charge.

Also free of charge is the access to performances held on the Romanian jazz stage in the castle's park, where young artists are set to perform over the weekend.

The Bran Castle stage will also see performances from Kit Downes Trio Enemy, Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and Italian bandoneonist Daniele Di Bonaventura, and Bodurov Trio feat. Itamar Borochov, the latter a project based on elements of Bulgarian folklore combined with contemporary jazz and classical composition.

The next day, the public can enjoy performances from Colin Vallon Trio, and French-Canadian group TRIO M.O.M., gathering brothers Louis and François Moutin and Jowee Omicil.

More on the festival's program here.

In Brașov, Sf. Ioan Square will host the eleventh edition of Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival between August 10th and August 13th. The program includes performances from Sharrie Williams, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Rita Marcotulli & Luciano Biondini, Antonio Lizana & Oriente, The Bluesbones, Johnny Rawls, Lucy Woodward & Soundsville, and Alabama Mike.

More on the event here.

Also in Brașov, the third edition of Jazz Bastion kicks off on July 20th with seven concerts held at the Weavers’ Bastion (Bastionul Țesătorilor). The event, which runs until August 24th, aims to highlight “music’s cultural diversity.”

The lineup includes Jesse Davis Quartet, pianist Yukako Yamano (Japan), AVA Trio (The Netherlands/ Turkey), Cătălin Milea Quartet (Romania), the Irish group TRÍ, Rain Sultanov & Shahin Novrasli Duo of Baku, and Bourbon Jazz Unit (Romania).

The concerts take place on July 20th and 27th and on August 3rd, 10th, 16th, 17th and 24th. Access to the events is free within available seating. The program is available here.

Ialomița Cave, located in the Bucegi Natural Park near Brașov, will host the Jazz Cave Festival for the third time between August 16th and August 18th. The festival covers jazz concerts, as well as other musical styles, itinerant exhibitions, and hiking in the tourist resort of Peștera - Padina. The lineup includes Cătălin Milea - Tetrismatic (Romania), Yukako Yamano (Japan), AVA Trio (Netherlands), Sorina Rotaru & Alex Olteanu (Romania), Soul Serenade (Romania), Andrei Petrache Trio (Romania), Noise Linguistix (Bulgaria), Sokol Prekalori (Albania), Nico di Battista (Italy), Groove Garden (Romania), Jesse Davis Quartet (USA), Koszika & Szasz Csaba (Romania), Aleka & Chris Guilfoyle (Ireland), Opening Theory (Romania), Koszika & Hotshots (Romania), Rain Sultanov & Shahin Novrasli (Azerbaijan), Irina Sârbu Band (Romania), Ovi & Popfolklorica (Romania), Cristi Horia & Sorin Romanescu, Andrei Irimia Trio (Romania). More here.

Elsewhere, the first edition of Nobile JazzUP will bring a series of concerts in Bucharest, Constanța, Câmpina, Sinaia, and Bușteni starting July 7th and until August 6th. Concerts take place at Rezidența 9, Manuc’s Inn, and Mogoșoaia Palace in and around Bucharest, at the Lions’ House, Genovese Lighthouse, and the Casino beachfront in Constanța, and Iulia Hasdeu Castle, Peleș Castle, and Cantacuzino Castle on Prahova Valley. More on the program here.

In Bucharest, several events are scheduled for this summer, among them the Bucharest International Jazz Competition, scheduled to start on July 8. Artists from South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, the US, and Ukraine will perform at the event this year.

The event covers jazz concerts, the competition, jam sessions, and workshops. Further details are available here.

In Sibiu, the Romanian-American Music Days, scheduled for July 3rd – July 8th, include several jazz performances, among them ones from Danny Grissett Trio and Andy Middleton & SPAM Jazz Group. More details here.

In  Ploiești, the sixth edition of Jazz on the Rooftop returns between August 25th and August 27th to the rooftop of the City Hall with a lineup that includes Raphael Wressnig & The Soul Gift Band, Luiza Zan Quartet, Norzeatic & Qinta Spartă, Aleka Potinga Quartet, Ploiești Jazz Trio & Emil Bîzgă and Zoom. More details here.

(Photo: Gărâna Jazz Festival 2022 by Andrei Infinit, courtesy of Garâna Jazz Festival)

simona@romania-insider.com