The Tbilisi Jazz Festival ( ka, თბილისის ჯაზ-ფესტივალი) is an annual international

jazz festival This is a list of notable jazz festivals around the world. Historic jazz festivals Jazz festivals by country The following is an incomplete list of notable jazz festivals, including both current and defunct festivals of note. Africa Angol ...

held in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, which, along with

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

's Black Sea Jazz Festival, is the country's main jazz event. It was first held in 1978 and became an annual event in 2000. Its traditional venue is the Tbilisi Concert Hall.

History

The first edition of the Tbilisi Jazz Festival was organized as "All-Soviet Jazz Festival" in 1978, when Georgia was a

constituent republic Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Bringing together 23 bands from 13 Soviet cities, it was attended by nearly 30,000 people and was one of the largest jazz events held in the Soviet Union. The festival recurred in 1986—reported by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' as an "outstanding success" and a boost to jazz in the Soviet Union—and 1989. Being dormant in post-Soviet Georgia for a decade, the festival was revived in 2000. Since then, it has been held annually. In the 2000s, the festival broadened its scope, including blues, soul, and rock artists, both Georgian and international.

References

{{Jazz festival Music festivals in Georgia (country)

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Tourist attractions in Tbilisi Music festivals established in 1978 Jazz festivals in Georgia (country) Autumn in Georgia (country)