The 14th iteration of the annual Jazzmandu festival is set to be held in the Capital starting October 20. The week-long music fiesta will see performances by a

total of 21 musicians from around the world.

The current edition will feature Jazz acts such as Rocket Men (Germany), Afuri Ko (France/Japan), Mn’JAM Experiment (The Netherlands), Ange Takats (Australia), Lyrics Born (USA), Janysett McPherson (Cuba/France), along with Nepali artists Cadenza Collective, KJC and Nepal Army Jazz Orchestra, Rabin Lal Shrestha Ensemble, Umesh Pandit, Manmohan Thapaliya and Gandharvas.

The fest is slated to kick-off with a show at the Alliance Francaise in Kathmandu (on Oct 20; starting 11 am); titled Concert for School Students, the show is part of Jazzmandu’s education initiative that focuses on providing an opportunity for school students to enjoy a variety of Jazz music from around the world; the show will also feature an interactive session with featured musicians.  The fest will then move on to popular music hubs in town such as Jazz Upstairs, House of Music, Moksh and Manny’s Eatery & Tapas Bar. Meanwhile, the

headlining event, Jazz Bazaar, will be held at the Gokarna Forest Resort on Oct 22. The fest will also feature a vocal and rhythm workshop and a master class session.

The music fiesta will conclude with a finale slated to be held at the Yak and Yeti Hotel in Durbarmarg, on October 26.

First organised in 2002, Jazzmandu was founded by Chhedup Bomzan of The Jazz Upstairs Bar, and Navin Chettri, drummer and vocalist of Cadenza. According to organisers, the fest aims to enrich lives, promote creativity, share international sounds and ideas, and promote the local music scene in Nepal.