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The 2011 edition of the Festival Internacional Buenos Aires Jazz closed with a magnificent double bill concert at the Teatro Coliseo, featuring the percussive nature of the band led by Marilyn Mazur and a subtle blend of jazz, pop and Asian rhythms brought by French-Vietnamese guitarist Nguyen Le and his trio, Saiyuki. This was the perfect closing to a successful festival in every respect: a total attendance of over 50 thousand people, favorable media coverage and, what is more important, a massive support from the audience that participated in all the activities held over 6 full days of music. The Festival featured 70 concerts with over 200 local musicians and 40 international ones – an accurate reflection of its steady growth year after year.

Tonight, starting at 9 p.m., at CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo in Villa Urquiza, the BAJ.11 will close with a double bill: the group led by percussionist, drummer and composer Marilyn Mazur and Saiyuki, the trio headed by guitarist, bassist and programmer Nguyên Lê. At very affordable prices, tickets for this event are on sale at this website or on-site at the box office of Teatro Coliseo, starting at 7 p.m.

With a good weather forecast for the last day of the BAJ.11, it will a perfect opportunity for spending the entire Sunday at the Centro Cultural Recoleta. There will be many great free performances, starting early in the afternoon. At 3.30 p.m., the young talented musician Francisco Lo Vuolo (photo) will give a solo piano performance at El Aleph. There at 4.30, Argentine saxophonist Rodrigo Domínguez with Spanish double bass player Carlos Alvarez and the trio led by Chilean vibraphonist Diego Urbano will journey through the winding roads of the music by jazz great Ornette Coleman.

Today, Saturday, The Classroom section of the BAJ.11 will offer two top-class clinics featuring renowned European musicians. At 11 a.m., the Italian Paolo Fresu will give a trumpet clinic at Notorious (Callao 966); and at 4 p.m., Norwegian Arild Andersen will lecture on double bass techniques. For both educational activities, tickets are available for purchase on this website or on-site at Recoleta’s Hard Rock Cafe (Av. Pueyrredón and Av. Libertador), starting at 10 a.m., as well as at La Casa de la Cultura (Av. De Mayo 575) and CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo (Av. Triunvirato 4444), starting at 11 a.m.

Today, Saturday, at 6 p.m., the second-to-last screening of the Cinema & Jazz series, at the CCC Recoleta, will showcase a film about jazz giant Miles Davis. A documentary about his extraordinary life and musical career, The Miles Davis Story, by English director Mike Dibb,features interviews with his fellow musicians and closest friends and a comprehensive overview of the glorious moments of one of the most important and influential musicians in the history of jazz.

During the afternoon, the notable Brazilian virtuoso of the mandolin – which he adapted himself – will give a clinic on the instrument’s playing techniques, and in the night, he will perform in concert at the CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo. The educational activity starts at 2 p.m. at Café Vinilo, in Palermo (Gorriti 3780, between Salguero and Bulnes). And at 9 p.m., he will share the stage with the duo of Sao Paulo-born singer and composer Tatiana Parra and Argentine pianist, composer and arranger Andrés Beeuwsaert. Tickets for the clinic are available online at this website or can be purchased in person at Recoleta’s Hard Rock Cafe (Av. Pueyrredón and Av. Libertador), starting at 10 a.m., and La Casa de la Cultura (Av. De Mayo 575) and CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo (Av. Triunvirato 4444), starting at 11 a.m.

As French saxophonist Sylvain Del Campo’s concert is about to start, people continue to enter the CCC Recoleta on a rainy Friday evening in Buenos Aires. Later, the series of events scheduled at the cultural center will end with a performance by Paris-based Argentine percussionist Minino Garay and his band, Los Tambores del Sur. In another part of the city, in San Telmo (La Trastienda), a free-admission concert will feature Charles Tolliver together with the Manuel de Falla Big Band in an original musical experience, as part of the Special Projects section. And at 10 p.m., there will be new crossovers at Café Vinilo and Notorious. At the end of the day, around midnight, Gillespi (photo) will once again play the perfect host to a new jam session – another must-attend free event.

Among the many options in the BAJ.11 program, two events stand out today, Thursday. Saxophonist Sylvain Del Campo will conduct a sax clinic at 3 p.m. at Café Vinilo, in Palermo (Gorriti 3780, between Salguero and Bulnes). Later in the night, at 10, Japanese bassist Masa Kamaguchi and Spanish drummer David Xirgu will share the stage with Argentine Armando Alonso (drums) and Rodrigo Domínguez (clarinet, sax) at Notorious (Callao 966).

Tonight at CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo, in Villa Urquiza, Charles Tolliver will perform in one of the highlights of the BAJ.11: the notable American trumpeter and composer will lead a quartet with Argentine musicians Ernesto Jodos, Jerónimo Carmona and Pepi Taveira. In this way, the experience of 2008 will be repeated, in which the same musicians accompanied another illustrious visiting musician, Billy Harper. Afterwards, French pianist Baptiste Trotignon and Paris-based Argentine percussionist Minino Garay will deliver an original concert with a repertoire designed especially for the occasion. Tickets, starting at an affordable price of $20 pesos, are on sale at this website or can be purchased in person at La Casa de la Cultura (Av. De Mayo 575) and CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo (Av. Triunvirato 4444), 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., as well as at Recoleta’s Hard Rock Cafe (Av. Pueyrredón and Av. Libertador), 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Today, Thursday, in the afternoon, pianist Kenny Werner will make his third and last appearance at BAJ.11. Previously, he shined on the stage of the Teatro Coliseo during the opening concert and lectured about his solo piano set last Wednesday evening at the Teatro Regio. This time, the exquisite New York pianist will conduct a master class at the same place as last night: Teatro Regio, on 6000 Córdoba Ave., just a few steps away from the corner of the avenue and Dorrego. In the session starting at 2 p.m., with free admission, Werner will explain his art – a real treat for the Festival and a don’t-miss event.