Catch Up

Bansko Jazz Festival from 31 July to 9 August 2026 tranforms the picturesque mountain town in Bulgaria with performances, masterclasses, exhibitions, discussions and late-night jam sessions creating a unique atmosphere from morning until well after midnight. Ruth Fisher welcomed Svetoslav Nikolov, Programme Director of Jazz FM in Bulgaria, for an exclusive conversation about the story behind Bansko Jazz Festival.

Miki Yamanaka – Indigo
Sullivan Fortner – Que Diablos
Or Bareket – Tsu’unu’um – out is through
VHOOR – Funkzada
Alex Asher & Slow Motion – Radiance
Àbáse – Fekete Szem / Black Eye feat. Kacsó Hanga, Jenő Lisztes
Lawrence Fields – Oddball
KingKlavé – Sabado Especial
Noah Kellman – Annoying Cool Guy
aja monet – working class musicians
FATHERS – PEARL
Sabaka – Step Lightly
Gretchen Parlato & Robert Glasper – Rainbow
Braxton Cook – Idea #5
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Diaspora

Jalen Baker – Kashmere {Repaved}
Nat Reeves – Blue Ridge {Now in Time}
Kendrick Scott – What Day Is It? {Corridors}
Cindy Blackman Santana – Illumination {Coherence}
Donald Vega – Para Aguabella {As I Travel}
Orchestra Mambo International – Olufina {Apúntalo}
Sullivan Fortner – Que Diablos {Leave That in There}
Grupo Elegua – Su Beding Wedding Ya {Inner Outer Alignment}
Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra – Future Shaman {Lightning Dreamers}
Chicago Underground Quartet – Tunnel Chrome {Chicago Underground Quartet}
Mali Sheard – Elephants {Hayfever}
Jimetta Rose – Somebody Else’s Idea {MettaSun}
Kurt Elling – Sermonette {Uncommerciality}
Billy Jenkins – Pharaoh Sanders {Uncommerciality}
Billy Jenkins – High Street/Saturday {Sounds Like Bromley}
Billy Jenkins – Benidorm Motorway Services {Scratches of Spain}
Sarah Tandy – Hyperjazz {Delicious Capricious}
Dylan Jones – Plastic Petals {Statue}
Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana – Dance Cadaverous {Beneath Lifted Skies}
Dollar Brand / Don Cherry – Cherry {The Third World Underground}
Tyshawn Sorey – Reincarnation Blues {Continuing}

Pierre-Louis Garcia – Tipaza {DJ Perry Louis (JazzCotech) presents Shiftless Shuffle Dancefloor Jazz Compilation}
Alden Hellmuth – Microfictions {Tether}
Courtney Pine – Lady Day And (John Coltrane) [feat. Lynden David Hall] {Out Of The Ghetto: A Modern-Day Jazz Story}
STREETON feat. David Kayode – Where We Started {Where We Started (Single)}
The Solomon Gundy Band – Drum Song for Chino (Featuring Sultan Stevenson) {Hancestry}
Brian Marsella & Sae Hashimoto – Tunnel Vision {Tunnel Vision}
Stefon Harris & Blackout – A Radical’s Love {Legacy Dances}
Hasaan Ibn Ali – True Train {Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album}
Conrad Herwig – 500 Miles High {The Latin Side of Chick Corea}
Charles Lloyd – Sam on the Ganges {Sam on the Ganges – Single}
Fathers – Pearl {Pearl (Single)}
Terri Lyne Carrington & Social Science – Blues Song (These Poems) {Trip The Night Fantastic}
Sullivan Fortner – Aerobatics Pt. 2 {Leave That In There}
Dylan Jones – Joker {Statue}
Lonnie Liston Smith – Space Princess (Special Disco Version) {Love Is the Answer}
Willie Bobo – Always There (12″ Remix Version)
Paulinho Da Costa – Simbora {Agora}
Tyreek McDole – Wild Is The Wind {Wild Is The Wind – Single}
Ferdi & Braxton Cook – Royal Sun {Royal Sun – Single}

Orphy Robinson – From Time to time
Red Norvo – Red Sails
The Markko Polo Adventurers – Rain In Rangoon
Martin Denny – Swamp Fire
Joe Locke & Neil Percy – Overjoyed
Paul Horn – Mirage for Miles
Warren Chiasson – Rainy Days & Mondays
Jack Wilson – Mr Day
Roy Ayers – Well, You Needn’t
Johnny Lytle – Happy Preacher
NIKARA presents Black Wall Street – Solar Plexus
Bill Ware Y2K Jazz Quartet – A Meager Existence

George Benson – Footin’ It {Shape of Things to Come}
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y / Vibes Mix) {Mecca & The Soul Brother (Deluxe)}
Herbie Hancock – 4AM {Mr Hands}
Jeffrey Osborne – I Really Don’t Need No Light {Jeffrey Osborne}
Ronnie Foster – Like A Child {Cheshire Cat}
George Levin – When I’m With You {Can’t Hold Back}
Mtume – Love Lock {Kiss The World Goodbye}
Nate Smith, Kiefer, Carrtoons, Kenny Beats – PEARL {Father}
Richard Groove Holmes – Red Onion {Hunk-A-Funk}
Airto Moreira – Tales From Home {Identity}
Teena Marie – Why Did I Fall in Love With You {Lady T}
George Duke – Yeah. We Going {Don’t Let Go}
Raffy Bushman – Pathos {New Life}
Faze-O – Toe Jam {Riding High}
Kaelin Ellis – Morning Routine {OFF BEAT}
Rufus – Feel Good {Rufus}
Rudy De Anda, William Corduroy, The Jack Moves – Like A Memory
Antônio Carlos Jobim – Brazil {Stone Flower}
Nick Marks – Do Wot U Love {Happy Place}
Minnie Riperton – Perfect Angel {Perfect Angel}
Marc Jordan – Maragrita {A Hole in The Wall}
Harvey Mason – What’s Going On {Funk in a Mason Jar}
Nostalgia 77 – Instrumental Cut {When The Lights Gone}
Herbie Hancock – Satisfied With Love {Magic Windows}

Don Pullen – Curve Eleven (for Giuseppi) {Milano Strut}
Oliver Lake – Aztec {Again And Again}
Schweizer / Carl / Dyani / Bennink – Encore {Irene’s Hot Four}
Lussier / D’Orion / Kuster / Tetreault – La Premiere {Printemps 2021}
Dave Douglas – Summit Music {Mountain Passages}
Kiyoshi Sugimoto Quartet – Country Dream {Country Dream}
Chris Spedding – Station Song {Songs Without Words}
Joelle Leandre / Nicole Mitchell – Sisters on Mercury {Sisters Where}
Karen Borca – Something {Good News Blues}
Grachan Moncur III – Gnostic {Some Other Stuff}
Paul Smoker Trio – Mingus Amongus {Alone}
Habarigani – Sabina and Piselli {Two}
John Coltrane – Africa {Africa/Brass}
Peggy Lee Band – Preparations {New Code}
Masayuki Takayanagi / Nobuyoshi Ino / Tetsu Saitoh – Ayler’s Theme / Holy Holy {Holy Holy}
Andrew Hill – Noon Tide {Passing Ships}
Eden Inverted Collective (EIC) – Atlanticus {Atlantidei}
Rob Blakeslee – Long Narrows {Long Narrows}

Count Basie and his Orchestra – Hang on Sloopy {Basie’s in the Bag}
Teddy Wilson – Someone To Watch Over Me {Someone To Watch Over Me (Remastered) – EP}
Stan Getz – I Remember When {Focus}
Ray Charles – Drown In My Own Tears {Single}
Sarah Vaughan – Slow Hot Wind {Sarah Vaughan Sings The Mancini Songbook}
Marian McPartland, Brad Mehldau – Stella By Starlight {Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz (feat. Brad Mehldau)}
Sun Ra Quartet – When There Is No Sun (Mixed) {To Those of Earth… And Other Worlds}
Hans Dulfer – Rice Path {El Saxofon}
John Lee Hooker – Crawling King Snake {200 Blues Classics}
Lionel Hampton & His Just Jazz All Stars – China Boy {The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets with Oscar Peterson on Verve}
Dexter Gordon, Cees Slinger, Maarten van Regteren Altena, Martin van Duynhoven – Fried Bananas {Radio Broadcast 22-03-1971}

Jazz Jamaica All Stars – Footprints {Massive}
Christ-Stephane Boizi – Grant Us Peace Our Father
Kiefer – Why Not? {Why Not? / Montara}
Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly – While I’m Alone {Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly}
Maze & Frankie Beverly – Before I Let Go {The Greatest Hits: Lifelines, Vol. 1}
Fathers (Nate Smith, Kiefer, CARRTOONS, Kenny Beats) – PEARL {FATHERS}
Knats – Carpet Doctor {A Great Day In Newcastle}
STREETON feat. David Kayode – Where We Started {Where We Started (Single)}
Billy Marrows – Dancing On Bentwood Chairs {Dancing On Bentwood Chairs}
QOW TRIO – Lush Life {The Rule of Three (feat. Eddie Myer, Spike Wells & Riley Stone-Lonergan)}
Jorge Ben Jor – Camisa 10 da Gavea {Africa Brasil}
Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo – Tiruliruli (feat. Osmar Santos) {Lagoa da Canoa Município de Arapiraca}
Sergio Mendes – Voltando A Baurú (Back To Bauru) {Pelé}
Courtney Pine – I’ve Known Rivers {Out Of The Ghetto: A Modern-Day Jazz Story}
The Solomon Gundy Band – Divine Days (for Leon Forrest) (Featuring Courtney Pine) {Hancestry}
Miles Davis – Mystery {Doo-Bop}
Mali Sheard – Afternoon Tea With A Demon (feat. Huw Warren) {Afternoon Tea With A Demon (feat. Huw Warren) – Single}
The Bad Plus – 1972 Bronze Medalist {These Are the Vistas}
The Bad Plus – Carrier {Complex Emotions}
Samara Joy – Flor de Lis (Upside Down) {Flor de Lis (Upside Down) – Single}
David Kayode – Nar Hedjouj {Ade Kayode EP (Full Digital Version)}
David Kayode – Astrobeat {Ade Kayode}
Lonnie Smith – Straight to the Point (2024 Remastered Version) {Afrodesia}
Emma Rawicz – Anima Rising {Inkyra}
Jon Batiste – FREEDOM {WE ARE}
Esperanza Spalding – 12 Little Spells (Thoracic Spine) {12 Little Spells (Deluxe Edition)}
Bill Frisell – Valentine {Valentine}
Light Of The World – Time (12″ Remix)

Bobby Hutcherson – Maiden Voyage
Stanley Turrentine – One O’Clock Jump
Lou Donaldson – Alligator Boogaloo
Duke Pearson – Farewell Machelle
John Patton – Village Lee
Chick Corea – My One And Only Love
Horace Silver – Ecaroh
Elvin Jones – What Is This?
Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder
Fred Jackson – Dippin’ In The Bag