Jazz Spring

3-8 May 2024

The programme of concerts for the 20th Jazz Spring Festival really pulls out all the stops – which we can now say is very much par for the course. Woodwinds and singers, captivating personalities, newly crowned stars and long-time stars whose light never goes out follow hot on each other’s heels on 3, 5 and 8 May at Müpa Budapest, and all three of those introduced below will present their albums from 2023. The spotlight will once again fall on the ladies as they prove beyond doubt that they are creative, accomplished and trendsetting both as band leaders and instrumental soloists.

On 3 May, the saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and her band will take flight on the stage of the Festival Theatre with material from her album Pheonix.  Her music born from jazz, funk, R’n’B and hip-hop and inspired by the hustle and bustle of New York also reveals the sound of her ancestors, the multidimensional present and dawning future of Afro-American culture.

The Canadian singer and pianist Laila Biali is sure to enchant the audience on 5 May with her album entitled Your Requests, the performance of which will not just be assisted by her trio, but also by Kornél Fekete-Kovács on trumpet. The multiple award-winning Biali has earned every musical accolade going in her home country, as well as the attention of Sting, Suzanne Vega and Chris Botti.

And who will be this year’s Jazz Spring performer to take to the concert hall stage on 8 May? Chris Botti took more than a decade to release his latest album, and with none other than the legendary Blue Note label. Botti, who has amassed millions of fans with its magical trumpet playing, has released a collection of his favourite evergreen hits named Vol. 1, a selection that is sure to fascinate every generation