We talk to the Festival founder of the Colombo Jazz Festival, Gehan Fernando about the upcoming Festival returning to the stage for its second consecutive year. Set to take place on the 18th and 19th of February 2017 at the Galle Face Hotel, the Colombo Jazz Festival is all about celebrating jazz and embracing the lifestyle. 

A restaurateur and an experienced event organizer, we catch up with Gehan about living the lifestyle as we talk about what exciting things lies ahead at the 2017 Festival! 

What’s the Colombo Jazz Festival? 

Well, the Colombo Jazz Festival inaugurated last year in February as the Colombo Blues and Jazz Festival at the Galle Face Hotel. It’s something that took over 3 years to come into plan. The idea came to be when I was in Dubai at the Dubai Jazz Festival that really started out as a tiny little event that is now a massive event drawing people in from everywhere around the world. And I just thought that Sri Lanka having its own jazz festival would be an excellent way to promote Sri Lanka and highlight the arts and music scene of the country. 3 years ago, the timing just wasn’t right but last year – it just seemed like the perfect time to start it out. 

Has this year’s Festival changed from last year? 

Last year’s Festival was a 1 day Festival with a few international and local artists. This year we’ve expanded the number of artists attending and the Festival is split into 2 days. We’ve also added an art and design element to it. This year’s Festival is especially curated and a lot of planning has gone into it to make it the perfect blend of music, arts and food. 

What can one expect from this year’s Festival? 

We have a great set up this year. We have a number of performances and a lot of new elements mixing in with last year’s setup. We have pop up foot spas, champagne and wine, brunch happening from 12:00PM - 3:00PM, a sunset BBQ, delis and even a gourmet picnic basket prepared by Galle Face Hotel for those who reserve a picnic spot on the grass. We also have the designer's market done by PR featuring a lot of clothes, bags and other creative things. 

What’s the line up like this year? 

We’ve got 63 international artists attending the Festival this year plus a couple of local artists as well. One of our headlining acts is by the famous band Incognito who I met during the Singapore Jazz Festival and when I told them about the 2016 Festival they just loved the idea of coming to perform in Sri Lanka. We also have performances by Mud Morganfield who is the son of blues legend Muddy Waters. We have a few repeaters from last year as well – Sunny Fox for instance who is performing for us free of charge once again. 

From the local artists we have Jerome Speldewinde joining us along with Brown Sugar and Geoffrey Fernando of the famous Sri Lankan band Purple Rain. 

How’s the organizing process been? 

It’s a lot of focusing on details but this year we’ve had a lot of interest and support from the private sector and we have a bigger team working on making sure every detail of this Festival is perfectly done. 

Why is Galle Face Hotel the perfect location for a Festival like this? 

I think it’s a beautiful property with a vintage touch to it. A lot of jazz legends have stayed in this hotel and it just seemed like the perfect location for the Festival because it has the right history, the right ambience and the perfect backdrop embodying the lifestyle of jazz. 

As a jazz enthusiast, what does jazz mean to you? 

Jazz is all about exotic destinations. It’s a lot different to other genres. It’s a lifestyle. If you are a fan of jazz you have experience life. I love jazz and blues. I have 2 brothers who pursued music professionally so I was always exposed to music at a small age. I love life music and the concept of the Jazz Festival excites me because I love watching raw music performances. 

Head on over to www.colombojazzfestival.com for more information on the Festival! Tickets are priced at LKR 5000 LKR for a day pass for either day and LKR 8000 for the weekend pass which includes entry for both days, children (under 12) are half price and toddlers are free. Tickets will be available from Sugar Bistro Crescat and Odel, 41 Sugar, PR, Galle Face Hotel and can be purchased online through the website. Limited tickets are available!