About festival

The international jazz festival “Vilnius Mama Jazz” takes place in Vilnius, Lithuania every year since 2002, presenting the most original and brightest jazz musicians and bands from all over the world, and nurturing the culture and traditions of Lithuanian jazz.

In 2024, the festival will take place on May 23-26 at the Lithuanian National Drama Theater.

The program of the festival includes not only concerts on the main stage, but also showcase stage, master classes of the most outstanding jazz musicians, night jam sessions, conferences, talks and meetings, art projects in various fields, film screenings, exhibitions, etc.

Navigating between different music genres and pushing the boundaries, Vilnius Mama Jazz Festival is distinguished by the selection of professional performers, unique bands and a dynamic program that is united by three essential elements: music quality, originality, and relevance.

An important part of the Vilnius Mama Jazz Festival’s program is the Showcase Stage, implemented in 2016. It is a platform where carefully selected Lithuanian jazz performers and bands have the opportunity to introduce themselves to representatives of the jazz industry from abroad: music critics, journalists, producers and organizers of the biggest and the most relevant jazz festivals, representatives of clubs and agencies. It is an opportunity for musicians to be noticed by well-known jazz experts, and in this way the Vilnius Mama Jazz Festival contributes to the dissemination of Lithuanian jazz abroad.

The Vilnius Mama Jazz Festival gives priority to opening the stage to young talents. Night Jam Sessions is a space where young jazz performers and acclaimed musicians meet in an informal setting. Their joint performances, energy and improvisations give the audience an extraordinary experience and help academic youth to improve and broaden their musical horizons.

Over the twenty years of the festival, musicians such as Marcus Miller, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Frisell, Christian McBride, Medeski Martin and Wood, Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard, Pharoah Sanders, Chris Potter, The Bad Plus (2007, 2019), Kneebody, Gerald Clayton, Snarky Puppy, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, The Ambrose Akinmusire, Robert Glasper (2010, 2011), OREGON, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, GHOST-NOTE, Ben Wendel, Joe Sanders, Greg Hutchinson, Anthony Braxton, Nicole Mitchell, Myra Melford, Shai Maestro, Avishai Cohen Trio (bass, 2015, 2021), Vienna Art Orchestra, Peter Brötzmann, Copenhagen Art Ensemble, Marilyn Mazur, Maria Faust, Jean-Luc Ponty, Louis Sclavis, Marcas Ducret, Emile Parisien Quartet, Erik Truffaz Quartet, Joelle Leandre, Airelle Besson, Miroslav Vitous, Arve Henriksen, Jan Bang & Stian Westerhus, Marius Neset, Jaga Jazzist, Mathias Eick, Nils Petter Molvær, Eivind Aarset: Sonic Codex 4tet, Beady Belle, Lars Danielsson, Rosario Giuliani, Flavio Boltro, Sons of Kemet, Get The Blessing, Neil Cowley, GoGo Penguin, Portico Quartet, The Comet Is Coming, Phronesis, RYMDEN, many other have taken part.

The authors of photographies used in website

Public institution “Vilniaus džiazo klubas”

Code: 125290733, VAT code LT252907314

Director–Administration Manager Judita Bartoševičienė/Mama Jazz

ph. +370 698 32 636

judita.mamajazz@gmail.com

EFFE Label 2019-2020