Festival year 2015
50th Annual Pori Jazz Festival
Pori Jazz celebrated its 50th festival in summer 2015. Stars of the festival included among others Robert Plant & The Shap Shifters, Kylie Minogue, Emeli Sandé, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club and Wayne Shorter Quartet.
To commemorate the festival history there were several exhibitions co-produced with the regional museum and public library. A book presenting the festival history was published in fall 2014 and a collection album featuring some of the most memorable live concerts at the festival was published in spring 2015. Three songs, all titled ”1966” to honor the first Pori Jazz which was held back in July 1966, were commissioned from three Finnish jazz musicians: Juhani Aaltonen (b. 1935), Jukka Perko (b. 1968) and Verneri Pohjola (b. 1977) all performed these songs with their own ensembles at the main concerts on the Lokkilava Stage.
Kirjurinluoto Concert Park gained a new venue as a vast concert tent Ted’s Tent (named after Pori Jazz icon Ted Curson) was placed nearby the Lokkilava Stage.
Ticket sales reached up to 61 000 and the attendance at the Jazzstreet was 330 000. Pori Jazz Kids Festival attracted some 14 000 people. All together there were six venues and eight stages. There were 129 concerts of which 67 were free of charge.
The Artist of the Year was awarded for the last time. Antti Lötjönen became the only bass player receiving the title.
