Putin surprises music lovers at Koktebel Jazz Party

Koktebel (Crimea), Aug 21 (IANS) In what came as a big surprise to visitors on the closing day of Koktebel Jazz Party, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the longest running event of its kind here on late Sunday night.

Putin greeted the participants and guests of the festival and expressed his gratitude towards the event organisers, mentioning that around 150 leading jazz bands from all over the world have taken part in Koktebel Jazz Party.

"Music is your language which does not require translation and unites people," he said in his brief address before joining the audience to watch some performances.

Among the musical pieces performed in his presence were improvisations on "Windows of Moscow" and "Blueberry Hill", both of which have been previously performed on two different occasions by the President himself.

Koktebel Jazz Party is an annual international festival, set up in 2003 at the initiative of the current Managing Director of Rossiya Segodnya agency, Dmitri Kiseliov.

The festival, which managed to garner wide recognition worldwide, owes its name to a small town in Crimea, Koktebel, where it is held annually.

This year's edition of the festival was cut short by a day due to heavy and unexpected rain on the first day. The festival concluded late Sunday evening.