Whether you’re a long-time lover of the genre or a total newbie, JazzBez Festival in Lviv tries to keep all the fans of this genre entertained with prime jazz events taking place in December, and with a solid selection of venues offering not just sweet sounds but sweet atmosphere too. In 2017 the 17th JazzBez Festival will gather around jazz musicians from all over Ukraine as well as many international jazz players. Also, this year the festival expands its geography and now will take place in the Carpathian region, Drohobych and Stryi towns.
Maryana Sadovska tour with her “iSadovska – Here and Now” program in the cities of Eastern and Southern Ukraine (Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynivka, Okhtyrka, Lebedin, Kherson, Mykolaiv) is a separate project within the framework of “Jazz Bez 17” festival. Another tradition of the festival is holding of concerts in the village of Novitsy Malopolska Voivodship, where the Ukrainian poet Bogdan-Igor Antonych was born. As always, the ideological and organizational center of the festival is Lviv.

Over the course of 10 days, the festival will host 87 concerts, in which over 60 musicians from the USA, Canada, Australia, Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine will take part. The “JazzBez” festival brings the performers who are now making world jazz.
Also, the highlight of the festival is the presentation of the maximum number of jazz styles: swing, fusion, bi-bop, jazz rock, yass, funk, cups, free jazz, etc.

Concerts will take place in the Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall and night jam-sessions as usual will gather all musicians and jazz fans in Dzyga art-club.
Read: Libraria. Lviv First Speakeasy Bar

Program :
1 December, Friday
Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall (7, Tchaikovsky Street), 7PM
Debbie Cameron Project (DNK- UKR- POL)
The joint project of legendary jazz singer – Debbie Cameron and the best jazz musicians from Ukraine and Poland. The musicians already had a successful tour in Ukraine and returned to create jazz magic again during the «JazzBez» festival.

Jochen Rueckert Quartet feat. Mark Turner (USA-DEU)
German drummer Jochen Ruuckert will perform at the “JazzBez 2017” festival in Lviv with guitarist Mike Moreno, bass player Joseph Martin and legendary saxophonist Mark Turner.

2 December, Saturday
Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall (7, Tchaikovsky Street), 7PM
Adam Jarzmik Quintet (POL)
Adam Jarzmik Quintet – winners of this year’s cult Polish festival “Jazz nad Odrą”.
The project was launched in 2015 in Katowice. The band presents signature music, created by composer Adam Jazmyk. Among the giants of jazz, whose creativity is inspired by band music, the guys point to Brad Mehldau, Aaron Parks and Aaron Goldberg.
Apart from his own works, Adam Jarzmik Quintet plays immortal jazz standards, missed due to their feelings and presented in new musical forms.

Mark Tokar Group (UKR-POL-USA)
Mark Tokar is a world-class contrabassist, one of the brightest representatives of the Ukrainian jazz scene. He was a member of the international project of Ken Vandermark, he has played in Undivided, Five Spot, Four, Varpaj, Yatoku. He is also a leader in international projects of Leo’m’art, Mark Tokar’s Quintet and Avtokar. “Mark Tokar is a key figure in the Ukrainian jazz scene” – allaboutjazz.com (USA).
He will play with Michael Balog – Ukrainian jazz saxophonist, Alexey Artemov - a drummer, percussionist, composer and Tomek Gadeki - Polish saxophonist.

3 December, Sunday
Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall (7, Tchaikovsky Street), 7PM
Gadt/Chojnacki/Gradziuk Projekt (POL)
The project will come with the presentation of the new album of Polish jazz vocalist Hanna Gadt under the name “Renaissance”. This album, inspired by Renaissance music and full of free jazz improvisations on religious texts, has already received many positive reviews from musical critics and jazz lovers. To describe their manner of implementation, the term “free Renaissance” is used.
“Modern harmony of dissonance, sonority, a sense of time and space, as well as the original choice and use of tools allow you to shift the Renaissance worldview to the newest musical language,” critics write.

«Michał Martyniuk Group feat. Jakub Skowronski» (POL)
The project’s music combines elements of traditional American jazz with fresh trends in contemporary European music.
Michal Martynyuk was born in Szczecin.  Last 10 years he lived in New Zealand, where he studied jazz and played with famous New Zealand and Australian musicians like: Lewis McCallum, Tama Waipara, Sola Rosa, Batucada Sound Maschine.
He is a member of the famous New Zealand saxophonist Nathan Haines.  Has recently performed at the Java Festival in Jakarta.

4 December, Monday
“Dzyga” Art-center (35, Virmenska), 4 PM
Workshops: Jochen Rueckert Quartet feat. Mark Turner (USA-DEU)
Jam-Session of festival participants and musicians of «Jazz Club. Lviv»

5 December, Tuesday
“Dzyga” Art-center (35, Virmenska), 7 PM
Jazz Quartet “SHOW BOAT” (UKR)
Jazz Quartet “SHOW BOAT” was created in 2008 in Kharkiv. The project moved to Kyiv in 2014, where he actively participates in various concert venues. The musicians themselves hurray their style like: Modern Jazz. At the Festival, SHOW BOAT will present its debut “Ocean” album, recorded earlier this year.

Jam-Session of festival participants and musicians of «Jazz Club. Lviv»
Master classes: Jochen Rueckert Quartet feat. Mark Turner (USA-DEU)

6 December, Wednesday
Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall (7, Tchaikovsky Street), 7 PM
Maryana Sadovska (UKR)
“ISadovska – Here and Now ” with the ”Night is just beginning” program
Mariana Sadovska (born in Lviv, Ukraine) is a German-based Ukrainian actress, singer, musician, recording artist, and composer.
“Ukrainian Bjork” - this is how Mariana Sadovska is called by her country’s.
In 2009 Mariana Sadovska and her Borderland band opened the Jazz Bez festival, in 2013 she and well-known German percussionist Christian Thome presented the Cut The Cord project.
For her performance at TFF Rudolstadt, in 2013, Mariana Sadovska won the Ruth German WorldMusic Award. Several years ago she also joined Cologne-based instrumentalist and composer Christian Thome to start a new duo project “VESNA” (formerly Cut the Cord).
“The Night Is Just Beginning” was premiered in December 2016 at the Ukrainian Museum in New York and was produced by Yara Arts Group. Vocals, keyboards, electronics: Mariana Sadovska. Sound design by Stefan Bohne. Artistic collaboration and support of Jörg Ritzenhoff, André Erlen, Virlana Tkach. Poetry by Serhij Zhadan and Lyuba Yakimchuk.

Alex Maksymiv project (USA-CAN- GBR-DEU)

8 December, Friday
Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall (7, Tchaikovsky Street), 7 PM
Dock In Absolute (LUX)
Piano Trio from the Kingdom of Luxembourg, whose music is hard to call jazz in its pure form. Apparently, this is due to the deep feature and sensuality of sounds that smoothly shuffle from one to another, creating a rich sound of the played team. In recent years, the band has performed more than 50 solo concerts around the world. It was at the largest jazz festivals in the world: Sibiu (Romania), Berlin B Flat, Jazzit Fest (Turin), the Yokohama Jazz Promenade Festival (Japan), Luxembourg Jazz Meeting, Shenzhen Jazz Festival (China), Shanghai Jay Z, Ploiesti Hot Jazz Summit (Romania) Paris jazz festival on the island. Now, we will feel this extraordinary and unique jazz at the Jazz Bez Festival.

Ark Ovrutski New York Quartet feat. Myron Walden (USA)
Myron Walden is the winner of the Grammy Award, a saxophonist playing on projects by Vinton Marsalis, Roy Hargruv, and Freddie Hubbard.
Ark Ovrutski is a well-known Ukrainian contrabassist, composer and band leader, now living in New York.
He graduated from the University of Rutgers and has Ph.D. from the University of Illinois on double bass.
Over the past 12 years, Arch Ovruchsky has worked with Curtis Fuller, Gregory Porter, Carmen Landy, Steve Williams, Larry Willis, Jevon Jackson, Steve Sleygall, Jay Dio Volter, Duduk da Fonseca, Patties Higgins, Michiel Borstelp, Sintiy Scott, Jim Rotundi, Donald  Edwards, James Spalding. Together with American jazzmen, he recorded three discs that received high ratings from critics, which is far from all Ukrainian musicians.  Reviews on albums have been published by DownBeat magazine, AllAboutJazz.com, The New York City Jazz Record, Cadence and many others.  All albums were featured in the prestigious JazzWeek Chart Jazz, which included the TOP 100.

Libraria Speak Easy Bar (Armenian courtyard), 9PM
Hnydyn/Gumeniuk/Praszniewski/Litvinyuk (UA-PL-DK)

9 December, Saturday
Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall (7, Tchaikovsky Street), 7 PM
Zamiratchi (POL)
Zamiratchi is a newly formed group that combines rock music with elements of jazz and fusion. Their game is full of incredible feelings for each other. The violinist and guitar player have the same level of expression and do not compete. Fiery and virtuoso solo, restrained bass and clear rhythm. If you try to describe this group in one word, it will be “energy”

Elek Istvan Quartet feat. Kriszta Pocsai (HUN)
The band of the most advanced jazz performers in Hungary, in which everyone is best in his genre.  A sense of harmony and balance between the sounds of classical jazz motifs, combined with soul guitar elements, Latin music and funk.
The quartet debuted a few years ago, which turned out to be a great success for musicians in Hungary and in other countries.
Pop, jazz, funk – it is her element of vocal sound.

10 December, Sunday
Lviv Philharmonic Concert Hall (7, Tchaikovsky Street), 7 PM
Mateusz Smoczyński Quintet (POL)
The virtuoso jazz violinist Mateusz Smoczynski returned to the Polish scene from the USA and recorded with his quintet a new album “Berek”, which will be presented at the festival. The album intertwines the influences of Polish folk melodies, American folk and classical music. And in this program, you will hear Mateusz playing an unusual jazz performance of the baritone violin.
For many years, he has played with his younger brother a virtuoso pianist Yan Smochinsky. All other members of the quintet are also well-known Polish jazzmen.

The Necks (AUS)
The world-famous Australian trio, which plays with Nick Cave, Brian Eno, Evan Parker, Swans and other idols of world music.
The Necks were established in 1986 in Sydney and during this time they created their original musical language, full of long refined improvisations. Their concerts are always exclusive – they improvise here and now, in this place and for this audience. That is why these musicians have gained world fame. In 2017, The Necks played the Australian tour with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released their 19th Unfold album, toured the United States and drove away 3 tours across Europe. At the festival, The Necks celebrate their 30th birthday!