We announce the Last Minute Open Jazz Festival 2024 (18+)

10.01.2024.

Slaviša Srdić

Bale, a city of exceptional energy and outstanding symbiosis of people and art, will be the setting for the Last Minute Open Jazz Festival for the 18th time from August 1 to 4, 2024.

We spoke with Tomislav Pavleka, the originator and key figure of the Last Minute Open Jazz Festival, which celebrates its 18th anniversary this year. This festival, which has become one of the symbols of the city of Bale, attracts jazz lovers from all over the world and offers an unforgettable experience of music and art. Tomislav Pavleka is not only the initiator of this prestigious event, but also someone who works tirelessly to promote jazz culture, bringing innovation and freshness to every aspect of the festival. In this conversation we will cover the history of the festival, its present and ambitions for the future.

Mr. Pavleka, looking back on the beginnings of the Last Minute Open Jazz Festival, what are the main changes you have noticed?

We started out of the blue. Out of spite, to create a better world. At that time, Bale was in its infancy and far from serious ideas and intentions in tourism development, especially the cultural segment. At that time, there were relatively few jazz festivals and this "disease" had not yet spread that far in small communities. Guests were still content with fried squid. Istria was at the beginning of the development of viticulture, and only a few brave people were developing a new world, let's call it, a machine with great momentum in one direction. Both in an evolutionary sense and in a degenerative sense. It is time to put the brakes on that mighty team and power, to measure the exact flow of fuel and "save" the carburetor, because I fear we will slowly spend ourselves into all sorts of things and the desolate lust for money.

How did you manage to maintain the continuity and freshness of the festival for 18 years, and what do you think are the most important factors in its success?

Early and mid-century jazz is about love. Love is the law, love under the will! Everything after that is no longer jazz. It is something else, but it is not the original jazz. Personally, I love the old-school and want Bale to be remembered as a place of great energy, where people, universal goodness, music, and stars come together.

This summer, renowned names and the old crew bring fresh compositions, ensuring an authentic Jazz festival. Jazz mustn't venture where it doesn't belong; additional complexities undermine its essence. It isn't elite music but resonates with those who infuse the night with emotions, shielding it from unsavory dreams for the uninformed and acquisitive newcomers.

Jazz is an ever-evolving genre. How did you approach the selection of artists and repertoire to ensure that the festival reflects current trends in jazz?

There are no trends in jazz. There are many emotions that transform the music and adapt it to the moment. Nothing better, new or worse has been created in art since the Renaissance. Consider that I do not belong to the "today's new man." Personally, I am at a turning point where I honestly question any action and its reasons. The new trends make me cringe. They lack truth and honest death. This is where I remember the greats like Beker, Parker, Green, Petrović, etc. You had to play a lot to leave peacefully.

Can you share with us some of the most challenging moments in organizing the festival and how you managed to overcome them?

Because the festival takes place under the open sky on the Bembo square, we are at the direct mercy of that sky. Sometimes it smiles and points us to the stars, other times it covers us with a downpour, and those would be the moments of universal horror for us little ones down there. Every such rain causes tremendous damage in the soul as well as materially.

However, we have survived more difficult challenges than the rain, so we are not afraid of obstacles. We manage to eliminate them one by one. We are left alone with "Stone Stories," the Municipality, tourist association Bale-Valle, the Farkaš family and Meli and I. 

The Last Minute Open Jazz Festival has become a vital part of Bale's cultural identity. How do you perceive its role in promoting the city and its culture?

Discussing oneself in public is challenging. Two years ago, we revitalized Socrates during the ART Symposium in Bale, providing a glimpse of our answer. The impact one group has on another depends on various factors. Over time, we unintentionally influenced Bale's development in diverse ways, sometimes harmonizing, other times differing like grandmothers with positive outcomes. Bale has embraced new energies and directions, shaped collectively by its people.

In this game, everyone played a key role - those who contributed land, vision, a tractor, planted olives, made music, painted, and even those who dedicated a significant part of their lives, though not native to the tribe. I am one of them. Life in Bale shaped me, granting health, peace, and love, and I reciprocate by working for and with them. Culture starts at school, from soap and toothbrushes, potentially culminating in the Opera or within ourselves, in our relationships with neighbors and the community.

In the face of global changes, what do you anticipate as new opportunities and challenges for the festival in the upcoming years?

I do not foresee significant changes as long as human beings remain consistent over the millennia. Everything else is like a background orchestra, sometimes in tune and often not. I cannot peer into the future; I just witness tangible and spiritual works being built. Honestly, I cannot predict what lies ahead, and I do not dream about the future. My dreams are about the past, where I feel more and more at home.

How do you envision the Last Minute Open Jazz Festival in 2024, and is there a novel idea or concept you aim to introduce this year?

Our aim is not to introduce anything new. I've been resisting new criteria and constraints for a considerable time. Jazz is a realm of spontaneous inspiration, and it will remain so in Bale as long as I orchestrate it.

What advice would you offer to young talents aspiring to join the jazz scene and potentially participate in your festival?

I'd recommend they hone their skills to a high level of proficiency. I'd suggest delaying marriage. Let them play at least 8 hours a day for the initial thirty years. Few have emerged as serious contenders on the jazz scene during their lifetimes. Those who did often had clubs as their launching pads. Without a robust jazz club, there is no jazz. Without Stone Stories, there is no Festival, and that should be crystal clear to everyone.

Someone needs to serve a drink and delve deep into the night to draw out tears and pain from the musician because deep down, love carries perpetual uncertainty and excruciating pain. If it weren't for the brethren of Sicilian commemoration, would there be jazz in America? Who would foot the bills, where would it be played, and who would even listen to jazz? There's someone to tidy the bills, polish the glasses, set the tables, extend a hand at the bar's exit, wait for the taxi with you, and illuminate her eyes in the smoky bar's depths... Jazz is the music of adults, 18+ please...

In closing, I express gratitude to all the enthusiasts who will aid our envisioned dream's survival. Slaviša, thank you for this platform; Edi, thank you for your positive contributions, and Sandi, thank you for the effort and joy you bring into our homes. Davor and Jelena, thank you for daring to carry on the legacy of "Stone Stories", I wish you fair winds and a beautiful orca on your journey to your vision. Sail far away, my beloved...

Photo: Jovica Drobnjak

Tags: Jazz, Concerts, Music, Bale, Istria, Festival