The Skopje Jazz Festival is heading into its 45th edition. From October 15 to 18 the National Opera and Ballet takes in musicians from Slovenia, Austria, Italy, the US, Norway, Iceland, Britain, Sweden, South Africa, Brazil and France, and the festival pass for all four nights costs 3,000 denars.

The festival has been running since 1982, which makes it one of the oldest jazz festivals in this part of Europe - older than half the countries sending musicians to it. That it survived the break-up of a state, sanctions, transition and forty years of institutions being reshuffled, and still pulls in players from Blue Note and the Norwegian electronic scene, is a bigger achievement than anyone in Skopje cares to admit.

The programme runs across two stages. The main nights start at 20:00 on the big stage: October 15 brings Zlatko Kaučič Combo BC from Slovenia and Leonhard Skorupa's New Quispel Octet, the 16th is a Norwegian night with Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang plus the Icelandic duo Skúli Sverrisson and Ólöf Arnalds, the 17th pairs Andrea Mircheska's quintet with South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, and the festival closes on the 18th with São Paulo Underground and the Vincent Peirani quintet.

Then come the night sessions on the Small Stage, at midnight, ticketed separately at 500 denars each. On October 15 Pasquale Mirra and Hamid Drake play their percussion duet, on the 16th Erik Honoré and Jan Bang build a live remix out of that evening's material, and on the 17th Alexander Hawkins and Sofia Jernberg perform "Musho". As a warm-up, the Ron Carter documentary screens on October 13 at Kino Frosina.

Single nights cost 800 denars, the night sessions 500, and the full festival pass 3,000 - meaning four nights on the main stage work out cheaper than buying them one by one. Tickets are on mktickets.mk. For a city that regularly complains there is nothing on, this is four days where the choice is wider than anyone can actually get through.