On February 26, 1994, a dixie parade ended its journey in the then called Gaudí passage in Terrassa, decorating the opening day of the city's Nova Jazz Cava. The delegation came from Sant Quirze street, headquarters of the old Jazz Cava that had operated between 1971 and 1985. There is a lot of rhythmic tradition that is breathed in the co-capital of Vallès Occidental, where the Jazz Club began its journey in 1959 local, which is structured as a member of the cultural entity Amics de les Arts i Joventuts Musicals, and manages this 328 m² space, in addition to organizing the Jazz Festival every March.
The passage leading to the Nova Jazz Cava now bears the name of Tete Montoliu. This was approved unanimously by the municipal plenary session in 1998, precisely at the request of Jazz Terrassa, the brand that encompasses the Club's activities. In fact, the late Barcelona pianist was the first artist to play a piece at the Nova Jazz Cava on the opening day, as well as a great friend of the Club since the seventies.
The celebrations of the three decades of life of this facility – an old athenaeum that also had uses such as a firefighter's garage – will come to an end on February 24 with a double session that will culminate Cinc de Jazz, a group that brings together several generations of artists from Egarense, among them the historic Josep Maria Farràs (trumpet) and Adrià Font (drums).
The Nova Jazz Cava de Terrassa has hosted a great deal of activity during this time: the count amounts to 5,052 concerts, mostly gigs from the regular season that takes place from Wednesday to Saturday between October and July, as well as those from the festival. The building, municipal property, was transferred by unanimous agreement of the plenary session to Amics de les Arts for the activity of its jazz vocal group for 25 years, a resolution that was later renewed with the same conditions.
If the city was able to recover a specific space for jazz after 9 years of accommodating performances in other venues, it was thanks to the determination of the then mayor, Manuel Royes, who was also president of the Barcelona Provincial Council. Valentí Grau, altruistic member and artistic director of the Club, and Susanna Carmona, who coordinates the Jazz Terrassa professional team, tell us. “Mr. Royes – they indicate – he had always been a fan of jazz. He had attended the old cellar as a customer, he regularly followed the concerts. Beautiful harmony that has allowed the success of this venue with capacity for 250 seated spectators and up to 400 standing, with special prices for the 80 fans who pay membership fees to the Nova Jazz Cava.
In these thirty years the audience has been changing, and they point out as a particularly positive fact that “the Thursday jam sessions have become a meeting point for young people under 25 years of age and even 18-year-olds, who in Terrassa They have free access to the shows. They have integrated the jams into their activity route. The challenge is that they also end up coming on Friday and Saturday: that when they get older they don't stop, that the jazz bug has bitten them."
Among the numerous artists who have visited the Nova Jazz Cava, we find international figures such as the pianist McCoy Tyner, the violinist Stéphane Grappelli or the trumpeter Lester Bowie, as well as saxophonists such as Jackie McLean or Phil Woods and the pianist Ahmad Jamal. Five thousand long concerts provide many joys, indeed. But also for some scares, such as the sudden cancellation of trumpeter Terence Blanchard's tour in 1997, just 24 hours before his announced appearance in Terrassa. In this type of situation, they explain, "we always have to have an ace up our sleeve, because our motto is to never cancel, and if an artist fails us, offer another of equal or greater interest."
In this case, in addition to a playing card they also used a telephone, convincing trumpeter Roy Hargrove to travel quickly from New York to Vallès, where he performed on the two days initially reserved for Blanchard alongside Russell Malone (guitar) and Gerald Cannon (double bass). ). Last-minute play that pleased the crowd, mostly made up of local spectators, although visitors from Barcelona and other parts of Catalonia are far from uncommon, who "always have us on their radar." Hargrove was, needless to say, another of the Club's good friends, who in 2010 received the Jazzterrasman award given by the Festival.
With its curved bar and high ceiling – which required the installation of panels that absorb reverberation – the walls of the Nova Jazz Cava are full of photographs, posters, framed entries and even instruments such as a double bass, seeking a significant ambient warmth. “In a cellar – say those in charge – there must be a special quality that facilitates a more direct experience of the music than what a conventional concert hall can give you. And jazz is a music that requires a special connection, first between the performers themselves, because not everything is written, but also an interaction between the artists and the public. These two things are more likely to occur when the premises breathe proximity.”
Another thing is that the times are in accordance with this spirit. Events such as the closure of the Milano Jazz Club in Barcelona in September give food for thought, but in Terrassa they maintain reasonable optimism in this regard: “The problem is always economic, and we have to be aware of subsidies”, public aid that in the case of regular programming does not exceed 28 percent. “We – they continue – have experience as a great asset, and we have always maintained curiosity to open ourselves to new trends. The point is knowing how to reinvent yourself and have passion for what you do. We believe that as long as we maintain this resilient, and if you will, somewhat romantic attitude, we will continue to exist.”
