The fourth edition of the Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival came to a close on Saturday evening, 29 August, with a concert by American saxophonist Donny McCaslin and his project Lullaby for the Lost in the Grand Hotel Garden, followed by the final jam session. The last day was also the most intensive in terms of programming: four masterclasses were held at the Rector’s Palace, where mentors and this year’s thirteen participants from eleven countries worked on topics ranging from the creative process and rhythm to storytelling through music.

The day opened with the masterclass Roots & Branches: What Happens When We Let Ourselves BE Ourselves in the Creation Process, led by guitarist and vocalist Camila Meza, pianist Gabriel Chakarji and drummer Elé Howell. Through structured creative exercises, the participants explored how composition develops from personal and musical roots, traditional music, musical influences and their own life experiences, as well as how improvisation can be used as a writing tool, rather than only as a performance practice.

This was followed by Exploring Polyrhythms & Improvisation, a masterclass by drummer and percussionist John Hadfield, in which a musician’s rhythmic center was presented as being just as important as harmonic understanding. Hadfield introduced the participants to polymetric loops through voice, clapping and walking, before guiding the conversation toward how these concepts can be applied in improvisation and motivic development.

The masterclass Storytelling Through Music by Mexican-American drummer Antonio Sánchez, a four-time Grammy Award winner, longtime collaborator of Pat Metheny and composer of the score for the Oscar-winning film Birdman, built directly on this theme. Sánchez spoke about motivic development, space, dynamics and intention as tools through which a musician, regardless of instrument or style, can shape musical thought more clearly and begin to tell their own story.

In the afternoon, the festival’s principal mentor Jamey Haddad opened Master Jamey Haddad’s Listening Room, a masterclass guided by recordings that have shaped him in lasting ways. Haddad, Paul Simon’s percussionist for more than 25 years and a member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame, spoke about textures, forms, and harmonic and rhythmic concepts in the musical traditions of Brazil, South India and Africa, while opening up a question that marked the entire edition: how immersing oneself in other musical worlds does not diminish one’s own expression, but deepens it.

“I have never considered myself a jazz master – I love the tradition and I love watching it evolve throughout my life, and I am still waiting to see who I will be when I grow up. With this wonderful group of musicians, the seeds have been planted for what matters most: the ability to hear another person, not only in music, but also in life. Jazz is an incredible vehicle for that, because we play based on what we feel in response to what we hear, and that means you truly have to hear and feel someone. It spreads further and becomes part of the solution for a world that needs more love,” Haddad shared.

The evening program in the Grand Hotel Garden featured a performance by Donny McCaslin, a saxophonist known for his key role on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar. His Lullaby for the Lost is a bold jazz-rock release in which the saxophone often takes on the role of the lead vocal, with influences ranging from Neil Young to Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine. On Lopud, McCaslin performed with Jason Lindner, also a collaborator on Blackstar, on keyboards; Jonathan Maron, co-founder of Groove Collective, on bass; Antonio Sánchez on drums; and Thana Alexa on vocals. After the concert, the final jam session followed, with the participants performing together with their mentors for the last time, before the evening closed with DJ sets by Jason Lindner and Toma Ricov.

Over three festival days, the Grand Hotel Garden hosted three concerts offering three different perspectives on contemporary jazz: Camila Meza’s Portal, Speaking in Tongues by the duo of Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield, and McCaslin’s Lullaby for the Lost, while the daytime program at the Rector’s Palace unfolded through eight masterclasses and conversations. Thirteen selected participants from eleven countries worked with the festival’s principal mentor Jamey Haddad, Artistic Director Thana Alexa and an international team of mentors, and what was learned during the day was regularly tested before audiences at the jam sessions that same evening.

“We thank the artists who come to this island with open minds and open hearts, and who share their knowledge, creativity and love for this music. Thank you to everyone who has been with us from the very beginning – to the sponsors and hosts on the island who welcome us into their spaces, as well as to all the friends of the festival who love jazz and want to support art and live music. We are especially grateful to our Jazz Master, the festival mentors and the participants who took part in the masterclasses, played and opened their hearts during the jam sessions after the concerts. We hope you enjoyed the music and that you will keep returning to us year after year,” said festival co-founder and Artistic Director Thana Alexa.

The summer program cycle of the Ponta Lopud Creative Platform will continue with Ponta Lopud Book Bridge, which will transform the island into a literary retreat from 17 to 19 September, with program details available at pontalopud.hr and on the social media channels of the Ponta Lopud Creative Platform.

In 2026, the Ponta Lopud Creative Platform presents three summer cultural programs, welcoming all lovers of the arts, especially film, music and literature. The Ponta Lopud Film Festival was the first of the three events; held from 25 to 28 June, it was dedicated to the art of film. The second event, the popular Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival, was held from 27 to 29 August and brought music lovers to the island, while Ponta Lopud Book Bridge will transform the island into a literary retreat from 17 to 19 September, rounding off the summer events.