- Title: BOLIVIA: Month-long International Jazz Festival begins in La Paz
- Date: 11th September 2012
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF MUNICIPAL THEATRE EXTERIOR
- Embargoed: 26th September 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bolivia, Plurinational State Of
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA50RT2LE3HD8P2GSL01P4IURBD
- Story Text: The curtain was raised on La Paz's 25th International Jazz Festival last week, bringing together musicians from 11 Latin American and European countries.
The festival, an initiative by Chilean saxophone player Juan Pereira who resides in Bolivia, will fill three Bolivian cities, La Paz, El Alto and Santa Cruz, with jazz music spreading from theatres to the streets.
Musicians from Norway, Switzerland, Holland, Spain, the US, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Germany, Argentina and France will take part in the month-long festivities.
Twenty-five illustrations, drawn by local artists to commemorate the event, will be displayed at the Teatro Municipal Alberto Saavedra Perez, where many of the jazz concerts will take place.
Pereira who is also the musical director of the Big Band group said he hoped the festival inspires other potential musicians.
"This movement started 25 years ago and we hope it continues and grows so that we are able to mold more musicians every year in order to work with them, so that they are able to take part in the festival and a jazz movement we started several years ago," he said.
A new group called Project Pixinguinha will also make its debut at the festival. The group was formed to pay homage to renowned Brazilian composer, arranger, flautist and saxophonist Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho (1897-1973), who was better known as Pixinguinha.
Group member Jorge Villanueva, described the idea behind the Pixinguinha Project.
"In Latin America there are characteristic instruments in each country. For example, in Bolivia we have the charango, in Brazil, the cabaquinho. We also have the huancara and they (Brazil) have the "El Surdo," to play samba. So, when we realised that wonderful things could happen when we play a Bosa Nova with a Hunacara, you can perceive a change in sound and music acquires new colours and that for me is enriching."
Jazz music lovers will be able to mingle with local and visiting musicians mixing different genres to enrich their music.
Most of the concerts will be free of charge. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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