From 26 May to 1 June 2025, the 24th edition of Athens Jazz – the city’s largest and most beloved jazz festival – returns to Technopolis City of Athens with free entry for all. This year’s festival promises a bold and exhilarating celebration of jazz, showcasing its most audacious side through an exciting and diverse line-up. With 21 acts from Greece and abroad, the event highlights the cutting edge of today’s jazz landscape, offering a fresh perspective on a genre that continues to evolve and inspire. Expect an eclectic mix of captivating sounds, addictive beats and explosive energy as Technopolis becomes the epicentre of modern jazz for a whole week – right in the heart of the city.
Throughout the week, 21 bands from 19 different countries will take over the stage at Technopolis City of Athens, delivering unpredictable live sets that break the rules and bend genres. From funk, afrobeat and electro grooves to punk vibes, rave beats and psychedelic solos, every performance promises a bold reimagining of what jazz can be. With delirious saxophones, statement trombones and energising trumpets, the festival unleashes a blast of amped-up brass that surges through you like an electric current. The 24th Athens Jazz launches the legacy of jazz into the future while celebrating its vibrant present with a week-long party of fresh sounds, genre-defying energy and unforgettable surprises.
On Sunday 1 June, the final day of the festival opens with a mesmerising performance by Norman & Corrie from the United Kingdom, who invite audiences on a journey through the primal melodies and pagan lore of Scotland and the Shetland Islands. Their music blends drones, electronic elements and dynamic rhythms to create mystical soundscapes that resonate with emotional depth and float somewhere between reality and dream. It’s an evocative start to the festival’s closing day, promising a transportive experience that lingers in the imagination. Closing out the night – and the entire festival – are Kessoncoda from the United Kingdom, a duet that strikes a perfect balance between piano and drums to evoke a richly cinematic atmosphere. Their sound is at once delicate and powerful, nuanced and intense, offering a deeply immersive listening experience.
Norman & Corrie (Scotland, UK)
Norman Willmore (saxophone, organ pedals), Corrie Dick (drums)
Drawing inspiration from the primal melodies and pagan myths of Scotland and the Shetland islands, Norman & Corrie create a musical dialect that merges the mysticism of folklore with the tension of modernity. Through their use of drones, electronic elements, immersive sub-bass and powerful rhythms, the duet constructs unique soundscapes but also leaves room for the sort of freak-out improvisation that makes every live performance a surprise. Corrie was a member of Mercury Prize nominees Dinosaur and worked with Jacob Collier, while Norman was a member of the Peatbog Faeries and Beth Orton’s band. Together, they pour their heart and soul into this project that leaves you with the fuzzy feeling of a hot, home-cooked meal on a cold, winter night. Surrender to the mysticism of Norman & Corrie and immerse yourself in the liminal space between dream and reality, where anything is possible.
Kessoncoda (England, UK)
Tom Sunney (drums), Filip Sowa (keyboards)
Kessoncoda are the latest addition to the excellent roster of Gondwana Records, along with Mammal Hands, Portico Quartet and other high-profile artists. This duo from West London create a sharp electro-acoustic environment, inviting audiences to actively participate in an immersive musical experience. Smooth electronic motifs come in to soften the geometric harmony of their piano and various musical traditions sneak their way into their drum patterns, creating compositions that are fresh and fluid. Their debut album Outerstate (2024) was heralded as an elegant work of art, setting Kessoncoda on an exciting artistic trajectory and providing Athens Jazz with the perfect closing act: cinematic, atmospheric and full of promise for the future.
For the full programme, visit the Athens Jazz Festival website.