Culture & Immersion

How to Jazz in Kaunas

If you like jazz and you can handle a lot of it, then this post is for you. Hell, this entire weekend is for you, just get your butt over here.

It all starts here in the town hall of Lithuania’s second largest city, Kaunas. Every year towards the end of April.

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It’s Thursday, the opening day for Kaunas Jazz, and you know what that means? Of course you do, jazz takes over the city! It’s hard not to walk into any cafe or Restaurant and not see these posters or flyers hanging about.

What started as a festival right after Lithuania got its independence in 1991 has not only continued but thrived every year surpassing it’s quarter century of existence through jam sessions and concerts last year.

IMG_20160429_135043If you’re walking around the city on this weekend you’re likely to come across a few reminders to get musical, whether it’s outdoor salsa classes, a free-for-all piano in the middle of the street, or the free open air concert next to the Vytauto Didžiojo (Vee-toe-toh Di-joh-yoh) University.

Then at 7pm the real stuff starts…

Friday and Saturday at the Vytauto Didžioji University Great Hall begin the concerts! What I like about Kaunas Jazz from the 3 years that I’ve been to it is that you get a mix between the new and the classic.

Fresh from yesterday’s concert, contrast this selection by Radiostatik with the world renowned Klaus Doldinger’s Passport that followed.

If 3 hours of jazz in one go isn’t enough for you, then you can follow it up Friday’s and Saturday’s afterwards at Combo Club for the after party concert.

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The place is cool, the bar tenders can be dicks, but the music and open space to dance, drink and jam make up for it.

IMG_20160501_142758If you do it correctly, you’ll dance to the jazz until two, three or four in the morning, wake up, rinse and repeat!
There’s free concerts happening all around, like this free one in a synagogue.

 

Lastly to top it off once your hang over wears off on Sunday you can make it to the main show at 7pm at the Žalgirio Sports Arena. Looking forward to the Take 6 concert tonight!

With that being said, I’ll see you around next year!

 

Want to stay in the loop for next year? Check out their facebook group or their website.