The Universal Hall, Macedonian Opera and Ballet and Hard Rock Club will host this year Skopje Jazz Festival SJF), which kicks off on 21 and will run till 24 of October.

The 29th edition brings 12 concerts and will have its opening at the Universal Hall with the performance of Cuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa and his Afreecanos Quartet. The second concert at the opening night presents Italy's Maria Pia De Vito and hers quartet. Midnight show at the Hard Rock Club presents Wired Paradise Group and Dutch saxophonist Yuri Honing.

On Friday, US Larry Carlton Trio and Brazilian Hamilton de Holanda Quintet will give concerts at the Universal Hall, while one of the most popular Brazilian singer Paula Morelenbaum will perform at the Hard Rock Club.

Saturday evening is reserved for Belgian band Flat Earth Society and US Patricia Barber Quartet. The midnight concert at the Hard Rock Club presents Chicago percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, saxophone player Ernest Dawkins, trumpeter Corey Wilkes and singer Nona Hendryx.

The closing evening at the Macedonian Opera Ballet will present Norwegian sax player Trygve Seim and accordionist Frode Haltli. They will be followed by Norwegian guitar master Terje Rypidal and the Bergen Big Band and their project 'Crime Scene. British jazz trio Aronas will close the festival on the scene of the Hard Rock Club.

This year the festival wishes to bring solid jazz musicians who have not performed in Skopje thus far, SJF Director Oliver Belopeta said Monday at a press conference.

He reminded that SFJ patrons were the Ministry of Culture and the City of Skopje. Macedonian Telecom is SFJ's general sponsor.

Skopje Jazz Festival, established in 1982, although promoting a genre, which at first glance looks distant from the local culture and tradition, has been managing to attract a very large audience and to build a reputation of a prestigious event not only in Macedonia, but also in the Balkans and Europe. Throughout its history the festival has hosted prominent jazz musicians such as: Antony Braxton, Ray Charles, Cubanismo, D.D.Jackson, Sierra Maestra, Marshal Allen, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Gotan Project, Maria Joao, Toni Kitanovski, Al di Meola, Youssou N'Dour, Brazilian Girls, and many more.

The festival is part of the European jazz network and the European forum of World music festivals.

Tickets for SJF 2010 are for the first time available on www.karti.com.mk.