Aegina Jazz Festival returns on July 17–18

Following last year’s tremendous success of the 1st Aegina Jazz Festival last July, which attracted 1,200 attendees and received outstanding reviews from both artists and audiences, the festival returns this year with an international lineup, a strong female presence, and a refreshed visual identity.

On July 17–18, the former Aegina Prison will host the event, as the Jazz Solidarity Network presents a packed program featuring leading names from the Greek and international jazz scene, along with special surprises expected to make this year’s edition another major talking point.

Opening Night

The festival will open with acclaimed world-jazz artist and ECM Records performer Savina Yannatou, accompanied by Spyros Manesis, one of Greece’s leading pianists and composers of his generation. Their performance will explore the meeting of different musical worlds through a live improvisational dialogue, blending works by Greek composers with Mediterranean music and free jazz.

Adding an international flavor this year will be Seville’s Assejazz, presenting Proyecto Jazz Colombia. The group is known for its romantic compositions and the warm vocals of Colombian guitarist Juana Gaitán, joined by renowned Andalusian musicians Bernardo Parrilla, Javier Delgado, and Nacho Megina on wind instruments, double bass, and percussion.

Day Two

The second day opens with one of the most iconic jazz trios in Greece, Human Touch, featuring Stavros Lantsias (piano, drums), Yiotis Kiourtsoglou (bass), and David Lynch (wind instruments). The trio will perform material from its new album, Colorblind.

The festival will conclude on a high-energy note with the eight-piece band Kapten from Thessaloniki. Their distinctive sound combines the exotic feel of Ethiopian jazz with cinematic soul, hip-hop, funk, and underground rock rhythms. The band features:

Panagiotis Kapetanakis (trumpet)
Thanos Tsakiltzidis (saxophone)
Alexandra Karabournioti (vocals)
Nikos Tsop (vocals)
Grigoris Liolios (guitar)
Maquitto (bass)
Thomas Kostoulas (drums)
Alexis Makatselos (drums)

Special Guests

On the festival’s opening day, Floros Floridis and Akyllas Karazisis will present a unique collaboration linking the present with the history of the former Aegina Prison, the festival’s venue.

On the second day, Natasa Martin and Angeliki Toubanaki will lead an interactive performance, inviting the audience to create music collectively using nothing but the human body as an instrument.

Visual Identity

The festival’s visual identity has once again been designed by Vangelis Fokas, this year drawing inspiration from celebrated Aegina artist Yiannis Moralis, whose sculpture has been creatively incorporated into the festival’s promotional materials.

Supporting Greek Jazz

Part of the festival’s proceeds will support the work of artists within the Jazz Solidarity Network, specifically helping continue the historic The Greek Jazz Book project, which is under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture.