Vasiliki Sirakouli (Democritus University of Thrace, Greece)
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In the summer of 2018, the second Aqua Jazz festival took place in the spaces of Athens Conservatory as part of one of the oldest festivals in Greece, the Athens Festival. It was the first time a music festival became part of another and devoted its concept to Mediterranean jazz in collaboration with the Athens Conservatory, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and the Ionian University Jazz Program. Combining performances, seminars and discussions, it became a meeting point for national and international musicians. So what brought jazz in such a big festival in Greece? This paper will unravel the status of jazz in Athens Festival reaching eventually this festival in a festival. It will highlight the role of space as crucial for the dissemination of the jazz music genre and festivals as cultural promoters of it and it will emphasize the power and ability of festivals as a sui generis tool for introducing and promoting music genres.