The 14th Jarasum International Jazz Festival successfully closed the curtain on its three-day event, Sunday, with 100,000 music lovers attending the festival.

The JIJF, which is the biggest festival celebrating jazz music in Korea, takes place in October each year on Jarasum Island at the heel of the surrounding mountains in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province – an hour from Seoul by the ITX Cheongchun High Speed Train.

At this year’s festival, a total of 257 musicians from 20 countries formed 42 teams to perform on stage.

The first day greeted Grammy winner jazz pianists Chucho Valdes and Gonzalo Rubalcaba from Cuba. Chucho Valdes is the founder of the band Irakere known to the world as the propagator of Cuban music.

The second day saw joint performance by American jazz musicians Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin. Ritenour is the guitarist known by his moniker “Captain Finger,” and Grusin is the founder of the fusion jazz label GRP, as well as a pianist and composer.

The third and the last day invited first-generation Korean jazz vocalist Park Sung-yeon, who is recognized as the founding mother of the Korean jazz scene. Park was joined on stage by Malo, the most actively performing female vocalist in the contemporary Korea jazz scene.

Israeli jazz music was given special limelight this year. Representative Israeli jazz musicians Avishai Cohen Trio, Saxophonist Eli Degibri Quartet, Quarter to Africa, Gilad Ephrat Ensemble took to the stage.

Three Israeli movies selected by the Israeli Embassy in South Korea were screened at the Jarasum All-night Cinema throughout the festival period.

The JIJF was selected by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016 as a national representative festival. The festival has grown in recognition over the years from a ‘promising festival’ in 2009 to a ‘grand festival’ in 2015.

Festivalgoers looking to visit the JIJF are recommended to bring light clothing for the day and padded coats and blankets for the evening, when the temperature drops.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)