Smida Jazz Festival is possibly unlike any other festival you could go to, the one here does not all take place in just one field or some tiny complex; the festival is not just a presentation of some great music but also celebrates the area in which it takes place – the amazing Apuseni Nature Park. You will find here the magic of the Romanian traditions in breathtaking landscapes.
Over the three days of the festival, the organizers schedule a great cross-section of entertainment such as artistic workshops, a reading club and various open air activities.

Nik Bärtsch’s RONIN

With the zen-funk quartet RONIN founded in 2001, Nik Baertsch proceeds with the work on his RITUAL GROOVE MUSIC together with Kaspar Rast (drums), Thomy Jordi (he replaced Björn Meyer on the bass in 2011) and Sha (bass/contrabass clarinet. Percussionist Andi Pupato joined the band 2002-2012). Their music consistently follows the same aesthetic vision under various instrumental guises: creating the maximum effect by minimal means.

James Holden & The Animal Spirits

By the time of the recording sessions for his third album ‘The Animal Spirits’ during the hot and sticky summer of 2016, the band of fellow travellers squeezed into Holden’s London studio Sacred Walls now numbers six. The gentle English cornet of Marcus Hamblett (Bear’s Den, Laura Marling), the free-wheeling recorder vocalizations of Liza Bec and the seemingly bottomless bag of tricks of cosmic percussionist Lascelle Gordon complete the line-up of Holden’s fantasy “spiritual jazz band playing folk / trance music”, adding an extra expressive depth to his latest spiralling synth offerings.

Mammal Hands

Mammal Hands are a trio of like-minded musicians: Nick Smart piano, Jesse Barrett drums and tabla, and Jordan Smart saxophones. Jesse’s influences are wide ranging, drawing much from his studies with tabla maestro Sirishkumar Manji, he blends the intricate and complex rhythmic patterns of tabla with the melodic lines in the trio, bringing a distinctive approach to the drums and the rhythmic framework of the band’s tunes.

Phronesis

With a reputation for spellbinding roller-coaster live performances, Parliamentary Jazz Award winners & twice MOBO-nominated Anglo-Scandinavian trio Phronesis have captured the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide. Formed in 2005, they have performed widely across Europe and taken their engaging grooves, irresistible rhythmic energy and breathtaking group interplay to concert stages and festivals across the world.

Szun Waves

Szun Waves is comprised of electronic producer Luke Abbott, Laurence Pike of PVT and Jack Wyllie of Portico Quartet.

Paolo Profeti European Collective=

+ Leo Betzi Trio, Deus Ex Quartet and Flatsharks.

Between 15th and 17th of August you are invited in the Apuseni Mountains, in the spectacular Smida village (Belis, Cluj – in the middle of Apuseni Nature Park). Camping, parking and food court will be available, as well as common transport to Smida and vice-versa.

More info: Smida Jazz Festival 2019

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Nicoleta Raicu

Editor-in-Chief at Cultartes Magazine
Still can't tell exactly my origins because of my suspiciously ‘Chinese eyes’.