Siesta Festival is one of the very few festivals of its kind in Poland – the ones that promote “world music”. It is inextricably linked with the radio program of the same name on Trójka Radio, hosted by Marcin Kydryński, which featured genres such as African and Cuban folk and jazz music – the first Siesta Festival was organized to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Although it was planned as a one-time event, it was so well-received that it has been returning for each subsequent year, taking place on the second-to-last weekend of April in Baltic Philharmonic – a truly magical place to hold such concerts, where anyone can feel at home and which no one wants to leave even after performance’s ending, leaving unforgettable memories of its atmosphere of unity and the joy with which the artists share their music.
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The ideals behind this event can be quickly summarized with its old description: “Siesta is the fascination of our kind’s multifariousness and the ancient process of culture mixing, the way they can see parts of their own reflection in each other. It is the meeting place of the peoples’ heritage, the modern European harmony and the freedom of Jazz.”
This festival can easily charm anyone from the very first concert, regardless of their musical background – jazz, pop or even metal!
This year in Gdańsk the following artists will perform:
Cultural Center – Stary Manez
September 20 – SOBREMESA Anna Maria Jopek.
Sobremesa by Anna Maria Jopek is one of the Artist’s most important albums. It is a meeting with great figures of Lusophone music. Full of lightness, grace and charm… like “sobremesa”, meaning “dessert” in the language of fado singers. An extraordinary concert by Anna Maria Jopek will open this year’s Gdańsk Siesta Festival.
Baltic Philharmonic:
September 19 – Yasmin Levy.
Deep vocals, Ladino music, a bit of flamenco and tango. Yasmin Levy is undoubtedly the most important figure in Sephardic song of the 21st century. The Artist’s concert is the first meeting with tango in the history of the Siesta Festival.
September 21 – Lura.
Lura is the quintessence of Lusophonia music, a combination of Portugal with the Cape Verde Islands and African influences. Tenderness, sentiment, charm, appetite for a happy life.
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September 22 – Alfredo Rodriguez.
He is the greatest improvising pianists of our time from Cuba. He currently lives in Miami. And there, from his street, Coral Way, he listens to the music of the region. He is actually a citizen of the world, because he has been awarded many times for his music around the world, and, as he says in interviews, he draws inspiration from all over the world. Not only Cuban son and bolero, but also bachata from the Dominican Republic, salsa from Puerto Rico, timba, tango and even reggaeton inspired Alfredo’s new compositions. The Coral Way album is a new stage in the master’s music and a story about his new life, in a new city, as a father.
The heroine of the Fado Nights, which will take place in the chamber hall of the Baltic Philharmonic, this year will be Maria EMÍLIA.
Parliament Club – Sunday, September 22.
We traditionally end the Siesta with a party at the Parliament club. Etienne Mbappe is, next to Richard Bona, the most famous singing bassist in Africa. Interestingly, also from Cameroon. Before we heard his original projects, for years he wandered around the world alongside geniuses such as Ray Charles, the greatest artists of the jazz scene – such as Steps Ahead, John McLaughlin or Joe Zawinul and finally with the greats of “World Music” such as Salif Keita, Manu Dibango and dear to Siesta’s hearts Mayra Andrade.
