Blog
Nicosia square gives it up for jazz
June 20, 2018
Aglanjazz is one of the best summer festivals around, encapsulating all that’s good about the season. It’s also well organised – a big jazz hand to the Aglangia Municipality. And, to top it all off, the name is singularly superb: Aglangia continues to lead the league in both witty musical monikers and jazzy June celebrations.
This year, the festival takes place on June 27 and 28; quite a while away yet but it’s worth saving the date. Not that you’re going to have to book your seats in advance – the entire event is totally free of charge – but you’re going to need a plan of action of you don’t want to end up bobbing around at the back! Yes, AglanJazz really does get that busy and though seating is available it’s snapped up on a first-come, first-served basis. Which leaves standing room only for anyone hoping to see (and hear) the line-up of internationally renowned jazz musicians.
Starting on Tuesday, AglanJazz sees three bands performing each evening, with sets beginning at 8.45pm and lasting roughly an hour – smooth jazz comes across so much better cloaked in the cool of the night! First up, we’ve got New York-based pianist Glafkos Kontemeniotis – described by organisers as “a gem of a musician” – and his ensemble of Alexander Gagatsis on the vibraphone, bassist Irineos Koulouras, and Ioannis Vafeas on the drums. “Kontemeniotis’ work has been described as ‘unmistakably personal’,” we’re told, “weaving jazz, traditional and classical music into a recognisable personal style that brings cross-cultural art to new heights.”