As the summer heat begins to swelter, the cool evening breeze ushers in a staple in Malta’s cultural calendar which has brought jazz performers from near and far to stunning locations in our capital city for decades. 

The Malta Jazz Festival, produced by Festivals Malta, has just announced this year’s stellar line-up. From July 8 to July 13, 2024, audiences will be treated to a musical experience on the Mediterranean island featuring an eclectic mix of renowned international artists and emerging local talent at various locations around Valletta, the capital city of Malta. The festival will reach its culmination at the historic Ta’ Liesse Church in Valletta, with the city’s Grand Harbour as its backdrop. 

The Malta Jazz Festival is one of the oldest running music events in Malta.. It was created in 1991 by Charles Gatt, and his successor Sandro Zerafa took over the curatorship in 2009. Over the years, it has hosted some of the most important exponents of jazz music, some of whom have now passed into the annals of jazz history - Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden, Betty Carter, Elvin Jones, Lee Konitz, Brad Mehldau, Wayne Shorter, Roy Haynes, Paul Bley, to name but a few. While the trend in the major jazz festivals nowadays is to stray away from jazz and water down the jazz content in their line-ups, the Malta Jazz Festival strives to do the opposite, always achieving a balance between the erudite and popular aspects of this music. This year’s line-up is a clear example of the eclectic content the MJF has become renowned for.

This year, this highly anticipated festival will be headlined by five-time-Grammy-Award-nominated American trumpeter Chief Adjuah, Walter Smith III Quartet whose frontman collaborated with Brazilian musical icons such as Chico Buarque, Guinga, Paulo César Pinheiro and Dori Caymmi, Something Else!, and TRIO GRANDE, on the main stage at Ta’ Liesse in Valletta, promising a diverse range of styles and influences to delight jazz enthusiasts of all tastes. Concerts at The City Theatre include leading Brazilian vocalist Mônica Salmaso, guitarist and band Tom Ollendorff Trio, and pianist with accompaniment Philippe Soirat Quartet.

The festival will also incliude midday concerts in the historic space of MUŻA, Malta’s Museum of Fine Arts with local musicians. This year, festival will also  have activities for all the family  with concerts for younger audiences with Julie Erikssen’s special project for children, providing a fun and interactive introduction to the world of jazz at Spazju Kreattiv, Studio B (Music Room).

For more information on the full programme of this year’s Malta Jazz Festival which will be happening between the 8th and 13th July, visit Festivals Malta’s website on www.festivals.mt/mjf and the festival’s pages on social media.

The Malta Jazz Festival is organised by Festivals Malta, is supported by The Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government (Kultura), Visit Malta, and sponsored by GSD Marketing Ltd.