At the beginning of the year, we published an article explaining how we curate our lineup. Our guiding principles, the rules we follow, and how we shape the audience experience. You can still find it here. Now that most of this year’s lineup is announced (with a final wave of DJs, special acts, and a few additions still to come), we wanted to share the reasoning behind some of the decisions. Let’s take a closer look:
Ibrahim Maalouf: The headliner of the year
Like it or not, every festival needs a big headliner with a special production. And when talking about the most important names in European jazz, Ibrahim Maalouf is a must. In France, he regularly sells out 5,000–7,000-seat arenas. He masterfully blends jazz with oriental influences and has opened his music to a much broader audience beyond jazz fans. Every time he played in Romania, he created a sensation. Now, he’s coming to Jazz in the Park with the most ambitious project he’s ever created—six horn players on stage, dancers, and four more instrumentalists. It’ll be a Friday night full of energy and celebration. That’s the vibe we want to leave you with: happy, dancing, and excited for the next day.
Biréli Lagrène Quartet: A masterclass in virtuosity
My first encounter with Biréli Lagrène happened long before Jazz in the Park. I was having dinner at the home of some dear friends—refined people, true music and art connoisseurs. During dinner, they played a concert DVD filmed in a ruined arena. There were no drums, no vocals, just musicians seated with acoustic guitars, violins, and double basses. I didn’t quite understand it, but it sounded incredible. Five minutes later, I was glued to the screen. It was “Biréli Lagrene & Friends – Jazz à Vienne 2002.” Fast forward to 2025, Biréli is coming to Cluj, coincidentally, I’ll also be a guest at the Jazz à Vienne conference. Pretty cool, right?
Kokoroko: A bridge between communities
While the first two names speak more to jazz aficionados, Kokoroko manages to break genre boundaries. They’re rooted in jazz but flow easily into afrobeat, reaching a wider audience. Their breakout came when famed radio personality Gilles Peterson gave them airtime and featured their track on a now-iconic compilation. With bands like Kokoroko, we reach new fans and invite fresh energy into the festival—while still pleasing the jazz lovers in our crowd.
Nneka: A female balance and a small healing gesture
We’ve worked with a French agency for years. When we heard they were representing Nneka, we were immediately interested. She’s known for a few hit songs, but also for her warm presence—perfect for our festival’s atmosphere. She’s not strictly jazz, but we’ve long embraced afrobeat as a close musical friend. Nneka was actually supposed to perform in Cluj years ago, but the pandemic had other plans. That concert never happened—but now we’re making it real.
Omar Sosa & JazzyBIT: A collaboration between friends
Our audience needs to understand the special friendship between JazzyBIT and Jazz in the Park. We’ve grown together from the beginning, side by side. We’ve organized over 30 concerts with them and have always pushed to do more. This year, as both of us turn 13, we’re marking the moment with a residency-three days culminating in a spectacular show with Latin jazz heavyweight Omar Sosa. A concert made by friends, for friends. But more on that in a separate article.
Sandra Sangiao: Trusting the right people
Jazz in the Park has many friends. One of them is Larisa, an incredible collaborator who gets our musical direction better than anyone. Each year she brings us a proposal we can’t refuse. This year it’s Sandra, a deep, emotional, theatrical project that will definitely surprise the audience. We later realized Sandra had already performed at Jazz in the Park in 2017, with Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra. She opened the show at the Hungarian Opera House, and also gave a moving concert at Pata Rât, a Roma community near the city’s landfill. We experienced something unforgettable together back then.
Transylvania Jazz Orchestra: Supporting the local scene
When we announced this band, many people asked if it even existed. “It’s being formed as we speak,” I replied. This is thanks to pianist and professor Dima Belinski of the Cluj-Napoca Music Academy, a passionate mentor eager to help young jazz musicians thrive. A jazz orchestra from Cluj? That’s incredible. Of course we’ll support it. We believe in uplifting the local scene—in any domain, in any way we can.
Family Jazz Band ‘ShekBand’ & David Luca Quartet: Proof that the JIP Competition works
Jazz in the Park is defined by two major events each year: the festival, and the Jazz in the Park Competition. The latter returned in 2023, with the goal of discovering young talent. And discover we did.
ShekBand is a trio of young siblings from Ukraine – 14, 16, and 18 years old. Guided by wonderful parents (we’ve met their mother), they’re incredibly talented and inspiring. Despite everything they’ve been through, they continue to create music—and we’re grateful to work with them.
Then there’s David Luca, a promising young drummer and composer from Cluj, now studying abroad. He stunned us at last year’s competition, and we’re thrilled to bring him back. Out of local pride, we want to showcase his talent on as many stages as possible.
Jazzbois & Sorvina: Tomorrow’s headliners
There’s something special about betting on artists at the start of their journey. Jazzbois are already one of the most sought-after jazz bands in Eastern Europe. Sorvina is just starting out, but has the right team behind her. We believe in them both—and you’ll be able to say you first heard them at Jazz in the Park.
There are many other great names in this year’s lineup—all of them worth discovering. But for now, we wanted to share these 11 stories with you.
If you made it this far, we appreciate you.
And hey – if you get your ticket early, it helps us a lot. Here’s the link!
See you next time,
Alin & the team
