67. PetroJazz festival

I've been a big fan of jazz for about 10 years now. I regularly listen to Denver's public radio station KUVO/KVJZ, collect instrumental and vocal jazz records, and have been to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival twice in the last eight years (although much of the music there is actually from other genres). Plus, I grew up in the New Orleans suburbs, so jazz has been in my blood for decades. I was excited to learn that St. Petersburg has its very own annual jazz festival, the largest in Russia.

The setting for this year's PetroJazz festival was Ostrovsky square, on the other side of Alexandrinsky Theater from Rossi Street. The program was full on Friday and Sunday, although of the two I was only able to attend on Sunday night. The program on Saturday started in the evening at the conclusion of the opera performance around the corner. It was certainly a new experience to go straight from an opera production to an unaffiliated jazz festival, just a 60-second walk from one stage to the next.

I listened to three bands on Saturday evening and two on Sunday night. This was truly an international festival: I enjoyed music by artists from Moscow & St. Petersburg, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. Genres represented included blues rock, experimental synth-heavy jazz, funk, and traditional instrumental jazz with as well as without vocals. There was also a significant dance component, with dance lessons during equipment setup in between acts and the final musical performance of the festival featuring a revolving cast of tap dancers on stage.

This festival was remarkably similar to music festivals in the United States, albeit smaller in scale.  There was a big stage up front, food trucks to the side, and an art gallery display and vendors selling all manner of trinkets in the back. There were also some carnival games and activities for the kids. And most importantly, plenty of great music.