The Dominican Republic Jazz Festival is an annual musical event that takes place on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, on the beautiful beaches of Cabarete, Sosua and Puerto Plata. The Festival has been running since 1992 and is the oldest – and, most important, free – music festival on the island.
The festival is the most important platform for the dissemination of jazz and Latin music expansion in the Caribbean. It represents Latin Jazz at its best. This year’s lineup includes:
- Big Band Conservatory of Santo Domingo with Javier Vargas (Dominican Republic) Featuring Special Guests Jim Kelly, Jim Odgren and Jason Camelio (USA)
- Student Loan String Band (USA)
- Roy Assaf Trio (Israel)
- Manuel Tejada (Dominican Republic)
- Berklee Global Jazz Institute with Marco Pignataro (USA)
- David Sanchez (Puerto Rico)
- Josean Jacobo (Dominican Republic)
- John Patitucci (USA)
- Mario Canonge Trio (France)
- Pengbian Sang and Retro Jazz (Dominican Republic)
- Pedrito Martinez Group (Cuba)
In addition, during the festival, Fedujazz, the non-profit Education Foundation of the Festival, offers workshops and clinics to children from the closest “barrios” as well as specialized workshops for musicians. Many of the artists participating in the festival give free workshops in order to help in the musical motivation and cultural development of hundreds of local children every year.
To book your trip to the Dominican Republic – for a hot time and all that jazz (see highlights from the 2014 festival in the video below) – or to check out one of our other musical destinations, drop us a line at info@takeagetaway.com.