The Moers Festival, or “mœrs festival,” is an annual international music
festival held in Moers, Germany. Founded in 1972 by Burkhard Hennen, it
initially focused on free jazz but over the years has expanded its scope to
include world and pop music while still inviting many avant-garde jazz
musicians. One such musician was Italian saxophonist Virgina Genta –
certainly known for her part in the Jooklo Duo with drummer
David Vanzan – and the artist in residence at Moers last year.
Here is a video of Genta performing with guitarist Bill Nace at
the festival in 2024. You can tell from the immediate furnace blast of sound
that these two were in a take-no-prisoners mood.
The Moers Festival 2025 is scheduled to take place
from June 6th to June 9th. This year’s artist in residence is Belgian
trumpeter Bart Maris, whose own style combines melodic tendencies with
avant-garde approaches. Check out a bit more
here.
To learn more about the festival, the line up, and its new “Pay What You Want”
pricing plan, head
here.
Check out Eyal Hareuveni’s coverage of the festival last year
here. (We’ll be back this year as well).
Read Free Jazz Blog reviews of Virginia Genta’s work here:
- Eyes Turned Inward: An Interview with Virginia Genta
- Jooklo Roundup
- Jooklo Trio – It is what it is (Relative Pitch, 2020) ****
- Solos from Relative Pitch (Day 1/2)
-
Jooklo Trio – It Is What It Is / Virginia Genta – Amplified Sopranino Sax
7 - Bill Nace Round Up (Day 2/2)
- Unlimited 30 Festival, Wels, Austria, Nov. 11-13, 2016
- Virginia Genta – Rough Enough (Holidays, 2016) ****1/2
-
Virginia Genta, David Vanzan, Dag Stiberg, John Wesseltoft – Det Kristike
Punkt (2015, Feeding Tube Records) **** - Jooklo Danish Group – Mixture of Energies (Holiday Records, 2012) ****
- Jooklo Duo & Bill Nace – Scratch (Holidays Records) ****1/2