The fifth edition of the Jazz + Festival, which will take place June 12 to 14, is another reason to visit Bulgaria’s capital at that time of the year. The festival will bring several world-class acts to Sofia, including Susana Baca, the Nguen Le Quartet, Trilok Gurtu and Anja Lechner, Vassilis Tsabropoulos and U.T Gandhi.

Although part of the festival, Susana Baca will perform before its official start. This will be the Afro-Peruvian singer's second concert in Bulgaria, after she caused the audience to dance and cry simultaneously during her first one two years ago (in the picture to the left and above). Along with percussionists Juan "Cotito" Medrano and Hugo Bravo, guitarist Sergio Valdeos and bass player David Pinto, she will be promoting her new album, based on texts of six poems by Lorca, Benavides and Chabuca Granda.

Each one of Susana Baca’s concerts is a small feast, which starts out with stories from the seaside neighbourhood of Chorillos, but carries the listeners far beyond geographical locations, towards the emotions experienced by people around the world.

Susana Baca will present Seis Poemas in Zala Bulgaria (Bulgaria Hall) at 7:30 pm on May 24.


The Nguen Le Quartet will present PURPLE - a Tribute to Jimmy Hendrix. Nguen Le’s reprises of Jimmy Hendrix stand out not only with the unique title choices he makes, but also with the diversity of interpretations with which he performs them. According to critics, Le’s success is based on the fact that he has managed to reconsider Hendrix’s influence, step away from it and present it in a contemporary light.

The Nguen Le Quartet will present PURPLE - a Tribute to Jimmy Hendrix in Zala Bulgaria (Bulgaria Hall) at 8 pm on June 12.




Trilok Gurtu is a percussionist and a virtuoso tabla player who in his work borrows from jazz, Indian classical tradition, abstract improvisations and Asian pop. At Sofia’s Jazz + Festival, he will present his latest project, which was released in March with the participation of Carlo Cantini – violin and keyboard, Phil Drummy – saxophone, flute, didgeridoo and duduk, Roland Cabezas –guitar and Johan Berby – electric bass.

The Trilok Gurtu Band will present Massical in Zala Bulgaria (Bulgaria Hall) at 8 pm on June 13.




On the festival’s last day, German cellist Anja Lechner, Greek pianist Vassilis Tsabropoulos will present their latest project – Melos, which is a kind of a continuation on their previous album Chants, Hymns, Dances, dedicated to the work of Gurdjieff - a mystical philosopher and a composer and collector of folk and spiritual music and lore from many Eastern traditions. Unlike the latter album, which rested on the transcriptions of Thomas de Hartmann, Melos also contains Gurdjieff’s plays, but most of the compositions are by Tsabropoulos. The performance of Lechner and Tsabropoulos will be supplemented by the participation of the self-taught percussionist U.T. Gandhi.

Anja Lechner, Vassilis Tsabropoulos and U.T. Gandhi will present Melos in Zala Bulgaria (Bulgaria Hall) at 8 pm on June 14.

Tickets to all the concerts, priced between 30 and 50 leva (around 15 and 25 euro) can be purchased in person at the Zala Bulgaria (Bulgaria Hall) Ticket Counter – 1 Aksakov Street (tel.: ++359 2 987 7656) and Duykyan Meloman – 7a 6 Septemvri Street (tel.: ++359 2 988 5862) or at online at Ticket Plus.