The Mas i Mas Festival returns to normal after the pandemic hiatus, and it does so with redoubled energy and ambition. With the month of August as the main axis of operations, this edition will begin on July 28 and end on September 10.
As usual, the event will be held at the premises of the Mas i Mas group -Jamboree, Tarantos and Moog- and other spaces in the city such as the Palau de la Música.
Precisely the beginning of this edition will take place in the aforementioned modernist palace with the performance of the legendary Soul II Soul. The band led by Jazzie B will perform for the first time in Spain in a non-private event.
His presence is undoubtedly the highlight and most visible of this standardized edition of Mas i Mas. Soul II Soul transformed the urban culture and black music scene in the UK in the late 1980s by combining hip hop, reggae, funk and pop. Its leader, the aforementioned Jazzie B, described his proposal as a reflection of "street culture as it was."
This length of time is due to the fact that a closing mini-cycle will be held during the first days of September in the Paral·lel 62 room (the former Barts) and because in July there will be a series of jazz performances in the Jamboree room with big names from the international scene, prior to the actual inauguration of Mas i Mas'22.
That closing mini-cycle responds to an agreement between the group Mas i Mas and Jazztrònica, a great monthly event that explores the connections between jazz, electronic music and hip hop, and which started last March with a stable program at the Jamboree.
From the jazz scene, concentrated in the Jamboree, there will be great international references such as the pianist George Cables or the saxophonists Wayne Escoffery, Jean Toussaint and Seamus Blake.
From the national level to highlight the pianists Albert Marquès and Lluís Capdevila, or the proposals of Gonzalo del Val with Raynald Colom and the new Barcelona Jazz Septet.
There will be a significant female presence with Las de Barcelona (composed of Lucía Fumero, Eva Fernández and Magalí Datzira) or Migra, where the saxophone of Irene Reig and the voice of Marta Garrett coexist.
Already in September, names like the Andalusian Tenorism will perform, which will have the presence of the Milesdavisian sax player Rick Margitza, the soul and funk organist Raphael Wressnig, the Swiss quartet Aphorism (with Jorge Rossy on vibraphone) and the saxophonist Gorka Benítez.
Before, in July and in that aforementioned programming prior to the official start of the festival, you can enjoy the Focusyear Band octet; guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel and saxophonist George Garzone.
In the flamenco field, the Tarantos will be attended by the proposals of Flamenco Dorao, the singer Carmen Doorá, (in the Tarantos from August 1 to 7) and the dancer Marina Page and her flamenco group
Finally, the Moog room will rejoin the festival after its absence from the 2019 edition, and it will do so by hosting, among many other proposals, the hard-working DJ Ángel Molina, who will share a session with Svreca.
The organization of the festival warns that in the "coming weeks it will reveal more details (and surprises) of the whole program." Meanwhile, tickets are already on sale on the festival website (https://masimasfestival.com/).
