(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 1. The majestic hall of the Heydar Aliyev Center became the stage for the 20th anniversary Baku Jazz Festival's final, Trend reports.

American singer and actress Cheryl "Pepsii" Reilly took to the stage alongside the virtuosos of the US band Interplay, and the evening turned into a veritable whirlwind of rhythm, emotion, and freedom.

The audience, from avid music lovers to diplomats and artists, filled the hall to experience the very live energy that people come to jazz for.

Cheryl Reilly is a woman with a voice that radiates life. Her famous song "Thanks for My Child," a hit in 1988, still touches hearts today. Cheryl's performance captures the spirit of gospel, the passion of soul, and the spirit of R&B.

And when Interplay's musicians joined in-Tomasz Bura on keyboards, Shelton Gray on bass, and Nathaniel Townsley on drums-the room literally came alive. Their jazz fusion is not just music, but an improvisational dialogue, where each instrument speaks its own language, but together they create harmony filled with freedom and drive.

This is the second time Cheryl Reilly and Interplay have brought the Baku Jazz Festival to a close.

From October 24th to 31st, Baku was alive with the rhythm of jazz: eight days, dozens of concerts, hundreds of inspired hearts. Among the festival's participants were K-ZIA (Germany), Heloisa Lourenço Band (Brazil), Yogev Shetrit Band (Israel), Antonio Lizana Band (Spain), Grzech Piotrowski Band (Poland), Enzo Favata Band (Italy), and, of course, Interplay (US).

The 2025 Baku Jazz Festival was more than just a celebration of music-it was a reminder that jazz thrives where there's a vibrant city, open hearts, and a night ready to listen.

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