In the last two decades the jazzopen have become one of the most influential and popular festivals in Germany and has gained a reputation in Europe on a par with other great jazz festivals like Montreux, Rotterdam or Vienne. From 7th until 16th July internationally renowned artists of the international jazz, blues, soul and pop scene are presented on 6 stages under the headline „Be Jazz be Open“ - for 10 days, the festival taking place for the 24th time this year will turn the state capital Stuttgart into a hotspot for music lovers. Extraordinary concerts will be presented on the main stage located in the Court of Honour against the impressive backdrop of the Neues Schloss (New Castle): Norah Jones & Jamie Cullum will open the Schlossplatz stage together on 12th July. On 14th July, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood and Beth Hart will celebrate a blues rock night with their audience and on 16th July, the music legend Quincy Jones will perform together with George Benson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jacob Collier, the SWR big band and the Stuttgart chamber orchestra. International star and entertainer Tom Jones will enter the stage on 15th July and Jan Delay with its Disko No.1 & Friends feat. Denyo and Samy Deluxe will perform on 13th July on the Schlossplatz. Main Stage Support Acts will be Trombone Shorty (13.07.) and Elcectro Deluxe (15.07.). „You could somewhat call the jazzopen 2017 "Jones festival", says Jürgen Schlensog, promoter of the festival. „The similarity of names in the line-up this year is quite amusing, the name Jones is really honoured thanks to Norah, Quincy and Tom. In 2017 the courtyard of the Altes Schlosses (Old Castle) will serve as jazzopen stage (open air) for the first time, "It's great that we can use the Alte Schloss as well this time. This historic place with its grand arcade court is a fantastic setting for jazzopen concerts“, says Schlensog. Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin, Bob Geldof, jazz music legende Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington will give performances there. Yet the 24th edition of the festival sponsored by Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg, Allianz Deutschland, Mastercard and BMW has even more to offer: For the second time Scala Ludwigsburg will be part of the festival, providing the stage for soul singer Michael Kiwanuka and jazz pianist Chilly Gonzales. At the concert hall Liederhalle, the artists Wayne Shorter and Chucho Valdés will invite to a long jazz night. At the beginning of the festival the German Jazz Trophy will be awarded to Abdullah Ibrahim at the event center SpardaWelt where also the concerts of Manu Katché & Christian McBride, a recently founded ensemble, Snarky Puppy Spin off Bokanté and Yellowjackets, the Allotria Jazz Band & Royal Groovin’ with their band leader Karl Friedrich von Hohenzollern will take place. On 11th July a top-class ensemble of 10 members will present „Jazz – The Story, 100 Jahre Jazzgeschichte“ , a multi-media performance dedicated to the history of jazz music. The BIX Jazzclub, heart of the jazzopen as always, will present selected artists in an intimate atmosphere during the whole festival, among them darunter Camille O’Sullivan, Joey 2 DeFrancesco or Melingo. An extraordinary stage this year: the cathedral St. Eberhardt where Jason Moran will perform. Monsignore Dr. Christian Hermes, dean of the catholic church in Stuttgart, will accompany the concert with readings themed „I had a dream – gelebte Nächstenliebe und Toleranz (practiced charity and tolerance)“ begleiten. There is also a permanent place for the young audience in the festival programm: In the morning of Sunday, 9th July, the little guests are invited to „Jazz für Kinder – Family Matinée (Jazz for kids - family matinee)“ at SpardaWelt followed by a cartoon workshop in collaboration with the International Cartoon Festival.. For the 9th time in a row, upcoming bands will be invited on the big stages as supporting acts in the context of the project „Playground BW“. „We are looking forward to a programme balanced between jazz and other music genres and to experiencing more than 30 top-class concerts… and to anybody who cannot wait for the festival to begin I recommend our double CD „jazzopen Vol 2“ presenting a cross section of 26 songs by artists who have contributed to jazzopen in the past 8 years with unique and legendary performances", Schlensog states.