Four-Day Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival Kicks Off in Macau

The four-day admission-free Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival 2014 kicked off at The Venetian Macau on Thursday evening.

Twelve finalists from around the world have gathered at The Venetian Macau for the Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival competition, featuring a total prize pool of HK$550,000 in cash.

Back for a third time, the Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival has become one of the signature events at The Venetian Macau.

Over the next few days of the festival, revellers can watch admission-free jazz performances at the outdoor lagoon area by 12 talented finalists from all over the world and other amazing jazz performers.

Entries for the Jazz & Blues Festival competition were open to individual artists, vocalists, instrumentalists, and groups of up to six musicians from anywhere in the world.

The 12 competing finalists will be whittled down to three prize winners over the course of the weekend, with first prize to receive HK$250,000; second prize HK$150,000; and third prize HK$100,000. This year’s competition is also introducing a Special Recognition Award, with HK$50,000 to go to a band generating an amazing public response, but not finishing in the top three, for a total prize pool of HK$550,000 in cash.

Judges Xu Kui (saxophone and oboe lecturer at the Macau Conservatory, and representative of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau S.A.R. Government), Antonio Cabrita (jazz pianist), Michael Cloeren (founder and producer of the Pocono Blues Festival) and Tomos Griffiths (Creative Director of Entertainment, Venetian Macau Limited) will watch each of the 12 bands perform in 30-minute sets for visitors over the four days of the Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival.

Bands will be assessed on their style, improvisation, technique, musicality, performance and audience response, leading to a final round with six shortlisted bands playing a half-hour set each in the final showdown on the last day of the competition.

The three winners and a special award winner will be announced at an 11:30 p.m. ceremony Sunday night.

The 12 finalists are:

• 3-0-3 Tango Fusion (Hong Kong)
• Skyline (Taiwan)
• Afro Jazz (Brazil)
• Soulmate (India)
• Budda Power Blues (Portugal)
• The Kandinsky Effect (France)
• Lowcal (Philippines)
• The Moreira Project (Mozambique)
• Old Style Sextet (USA)
• The Northern Governors (Finland)
• Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds (USA)
• Trio Ricardo Special (Hungary)

The Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival is open 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday (9-10 October), and 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday (11-12 October). Admission-free.