JazzTime

29-31 August 2025

The time for cathartic jazz is upon us once again! At the JazzTime festival, the biggest global names in the genre will conjure up an incomparable atmosphere in the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall – in tandem with the cream of Hungarian bands. Three special sets of talent, three unforgettable evenings.

The series of events will open on 29 August with none other than Ms. Lisa Fischer and her extraordinarily expressive voice. She certainly deserves a gold star for humility: after winning a Grammy as a solo artist, she toured for decades with the Rolling Stones, Sting and even Tina Turner as a first-glass backing vocalist. Since 2014, we are happy to say she is back conquering audiences on her own again – along with her band, Grand Baton. It will be interesting to hear how she resonates with the Pannon Philharmonic, an ensemble that revels in crossover styles.

We will be able to share in a slice of music history on 30 Augustus, when the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band continues the tradition begun by the jazz trumpet player, songwriter and band leader who a has been immortalised as one of the founders of bebop. We are sure to get a fine taste of the “classical music of the future” from this group lead by bass guitarist John Lee. Their guest on this occasion will be the singer Kriszta Pocsai, who always takes flight as a soloist with big bands.

At the closing concert of the festival on 31 August, we will again be able to to enjoy the company of a dazzling diva. From jazz through musicals to opera, Morgan James is at home in a variety of genres and may be familiar from the global sensation that is Postmodern Jukebox, which reworks modern hits in classical form, but she has also laid down winning albums in her own right. She will step onto the Müpa Budapest stage with her husband, the guitarist Doug Wamble, and the Budapest Jazz Orchestra: you wouldn’t want to miss it.