Stockholm Jazz???? Festival

[Lois Gilbert]

Kanye West, Sting to perform at Stockholm Jazz Festival


Associated Press

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Kanye West will be one of the main attractions at this year's Stockholm Jazz Festival.

The 27-year-old rapper-producer-songwriter will take the stage July 20 at the outdoor festival, one of the biggest annual music events in Sweden, organizers announced Friday.

West has won six Grammy Awards for his two multiplatinum albums, 2004's The College Dropout and last year's Late Registration.

Sting is also slated to appear at the July 18-22 festival as part of his Broken Music Tour.

[Dennis Gonzalez]

The SJF has always had a grand tradition of representing jazz well...usually 2/3 of its performers are jazz and 1/3 are pop-related acts. But just in the past 2 to 3 years the fest has moved more in a big-name headliners direction. Maybe money problems?

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

Maybe money problems?

Maybe they're jumping on the bandwagon/epidemic of jazz festivals that don't feature much jazz.

[Lois Gilbert]

where's "Good Old Stockholm"

[Nefertiti]

What about the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival line-up:

- BB King
- Solomon Burke
- Deep Purple
- Gilberto Gil
- Gilles Peterson's Worldwide
- David Sanborn
- Carlos Santana with special projects
- Simply Red
- Sting
- Bryan Adams
- Border Community vs. Wagon Repair
- Hommage à Claude Nougaro avec Aldo Romano
- Massive Attack
- Narodniki - The laptop supergroup

http://www.montreuxjazz.com/index_2006_en.aspx

[JaSt]

We, the jazz fans, used to look forward to go the fantastic space on the island in the middle of Stockholm and listen to fine jazz in a pleasant atmosphere during the SJF in July.

However, the line-ups for the last years have been just “jokes”. Very few of the jazz people go there any longer and pay 40 – 50 USD for a day to first listen to various pop-music groups and then at the end to a Swedish jazz group appearing last on the chart. A group which they can hear at the clubs for a third of that entrance fee.

We thought after last year, 2005, - it can’t be worst. But, now when we see what will happen in July 2006, it’s only to verify – the word “jazz” has lost its previous definition.
And now Nefertiti tells us about the same phenomena in the Montreux Jazz Festival
The organizers of the festival(s) seem to have “stolen” the word “jazz” which for some reason seams to give pop music a higher status.
.

If this goes on, what will the line-up be at the Vision in 2008?

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by JaSt

And now Nefertiti tells us about the same phenomena in the Montreux Jazz Festival

That has been the case there for some years. Probably the most famous jazz festival that's not a jazz festival.

[Cem]

Originally Posted by JaSt

We, the jazz fans, used to look forward to go the fantastic space on the island in the middle of Stockholm and listen to fine jazz in a pleasant atmosphere during the SJF in July.

However, the line-ups for the last years have been just “jokes”. Very few of the jazz people go there any longer and pay 40 – 50 USD for a day to first listen to various pop-music groups and then at the end to a Swedish jazz group appearing last on the chart. A group which they can hear at the clubs for a third of that entrance fee.

We thought after last year, 2005, - it can’t be worst. But, now when we see what will happen in July 2006, it’s only to verify – the word “jazz” has lost its previous definition.
And now Nefertiti tells us about the same phenomena in the Montreux Jazz Festival
The organizers of the festival(s) seem to have “stolen” the word “jazz” which for some reason seams to give pop music a higher status.
.

If this goes on, what will the line-up be at the Vision in 2008?

Jan, how about organizing the troops & putting together a festival of your own, to give the presenters a wake up call!?

Just pick a few venues & get the local players to organize & play at the time of the festival, maybe...kind of in protest... or just to ride the "flavour of the moment" type interest in jazz during festival time. Would there be enough interest, do you think?

We're really fortunate here. Our festival gets some pop acts too, but usually people like Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, etc...this on top of a ton of straight, avant, free-jazz, creative music, etc...

[JaSt]

Originally Posted by Cem

Jan, how about organizing the troops & putting together a festival of your own, to give the presenters a wake up call!?

Actually, my friends at Silkheart Records have proposed the same – to organize an ”Ayler / Silkheart Festival”.
If you look at our two catalogues, there is a quite good crowd of artists who it should be possible and a pleasure to bring over.
It’s “only” a question how to raise the money? Maybe it should work if we call it a “Pop Festival”?

[yardbird]

Well, jazz has a history of doing alternative or protest festivals - Berlin's had one for decades, and Mingus (a.o) organised one at Newport - even if those two definitely are jazz festivals - I guess it has to do with not being satisfied with the space available for uncompromising music.

So if you're not satisfied with the profile of SJF, get some musicians and jazz club people together, and start planning. Without funding, salaries for musicians have
to reflect what ticket sales generate, which might be
less than they're worth, but you'll probably get some
press exposure marketing the event and your attitude to
the SJF program - and at least you've acted and done something to express your feelings.

As written earlier, quite a few jazz festivals have headliners
that are far from jazz musicians - usually, however, these
are just a minor part of the program and hopefully generate some money to spend on less popular but musically more rewarding acts.

I think it's strange, though, that SJF does'nt work together with the local
year round jazz scene like they do in Copehagen.

[jazzy mary]

Originally Posted by Lois Gilbert

Kanye West, Sting to perform at Stockholm Jazz Festival


Associated Press

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Kanye West will be one of the main attractions at this year's Stockholm Jazz Festival.

The 27-year-old rapper-producer-songwriter will take the stage July 20 at the outdoor festival, one of the biggest annual music events in Sweden, organizers announced Friday.

West has won six Grammy Awards for his two multiplatinum albums, 2004's The College Dropout and last year's Late Registration.

Sting is also slated to appear at the July 18-22 festival as part of his Broken Music Tour.

This kindof stuff drives me frickin' CRAZY!! Kanye West has NOTHING to do with jazz. And Sting? Please!! It just makes a joke of these "jazz" festivals when they do this. I'm distressed to see this happen more & more.