Gere Jazz Festival in 2018

At Gere Attila Winery the 7th Gere Jazz Festival will be held on 8th and 9th of June, 2018. The location is the Gere Estate as usual. Thanks to the different thematic from year to year, this time the participants can experience a real Italian dolce vita feeling among the vineyards of Villány. Beside of the stars of the Hungarian jazz this year Nicola Conte – representing the most danceable jazz – will perform the songs from his new album for the first time in Hungary.

The Festival held in the southernmost vineyards of Hungary will integrate Gere wines, sophisticated culinary delights and classy jazz music into a mellifluous common chord. If you like Italian tunes, Tuscan feeling and top notch wines then make sure to be in Villány on the second weekend of June.

Gastronomy has always been a central part of the Festival and this year is not going to be any different. The chefs of the Gere Winery’s Mandula Restaurant will provide a veritable Italian feast. The menu will include some of the most beloved classic Italian dishes in exciting presentation: Trippa alla Fiorentina with tomato puree, Parmigiano-Reggiano and pesto, pulled lamb with focaccia and ruccola, shrimp risotto with herbs, osso bucco, vegetarian lasagne, roasted fish, chicken, saltimbocca and shoulder of lamb on the BBQ served with fresh salad. The desserts will also represent the dolce vita style with the unmissable tiramisu, apricot panna cotta with cantuccini and ricotta rum baba that will surely delight guests with sweet tooth.

At this weekend the frizzante to be served is Gere Frici sparkling on ice, a perennial favourite among visitors to Gere Jazz Festivals. In the summer heat nothing could be more welcome than a refreshing white or rosé Frici which this year will also be served with Campari to provide an exciting alternative to Aperol Spritz. Fruity whites and rosés are great to quench your thirst and it is no sacrilege to have a spritzer or two either. If red is your thing even in summer heat than our recommendations are Portugieser, Athus Cuvée and Merlot, it’s an added benefit that these wines with their racier acidity are great accompaniments to dishes with tomatoes and Italian spices. Of course you can also sample top of the range wines like Kopar or Solus a sure way to get you in the right mood.

Kindly accepting the invitation of the Gere Family the culinary guest star of the Festival are going to be the Sirk Family, owners of the Michelin-starred La Subida Restaurant. Representing the best of Italian gastronomy they will provide a selection of the treats available at their Restaurant including cheese, ham and olive oil from their native Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

For the joy of the fans of the modern jazz the first performer of the festival is the deservedly famous Rákfogó zenekar which does not only celebrate the rebirth of Rákfogó but also Szakcsi who is 75 this year and plays the piano on the stage for 60 years now. The renewed band plays the newest pieces of Béla Lakatos Szakcsi and also the former jazz-rock evergreens in the spirit of the experimental period of the formation.

Kéknyúl will be a unique spot of the festival. Kéknyúl band plays amusing jazz funk blues with organ in a unique set up. Beside of the leading role bass is also the task of the Hammond organ. Drum, guitar and imposing wind instruments gives the accompaniment. The pick of the programme are the own songs, which is completed by some rewritten classic pieces as the respect of the great olds.

The first perfomer of the second day is Balázs Elemér Group. The popular band was established by Elemér Balázs in 2000 and since then they performed on several Hungarian, international concerts with great success. They also won many prizes. Beside of the band leader and drummer Flóra Kiss, Milán Szakonyi, József Balázs, Áron Komjáti, Krisztiána “Pecek” Lakatos and József Czibere will play for us on the Gere Jazz Festival.

Barabás Lőrinc Quartet evokes the free and improvised jazz-rock world of the 70’s which sounds really fresh through the filter of the four young, 21st century, big city, cosmopolitan musicians.

The Italian star of the festival is Nicola Conte, the creator of the most jazzy dance music and the most danceable jazz.  The participants of the festival will hear his new songs from his new album coming out soon.

This year this is the 7th Gere Jazz festival establishing a tradition among summer festivals. Awaits to Villány all those who are the determined fans of wine, music and gastronomy. Attila Gere and his family present the participants of this exclusive, Italian atmosphere garden party with everlasting experiences.