With its sights set on the ever-approaching 60th anniversary, the Barcelona Jazz Festival, founded in 1966, presents a new edition with leading names such as Pat Metheny, Maria Schneider, John Scofield and Crosscurrents Trio, in a lineup that, as Every year it opens the door to new trends with a foot in the city's jazz base in the form of master classes and concerts at the Conservatori del Liceu. An offer that is completed in this first list of artists with the trombonist Rita Payés, protagonist of the portrait of an artist with five concerts within the festival, which has Caixabank as a new strategic partner. Club Vanguardia members will have a 15% discount on their tickets if they purchase them on the Vanguardia Tickets portal.
“When we celebrated 40 years, we laid the pillars of what we believed the Barcelona festival should be,” Tito Ramoneda, president of the promoter The Project, commented at the presentation, looking back. "In these years we have created a consolidated project, which does not sleep and always seeks to surprise, integrate and look forward, something that jazz makes very easy for us." In this sense, the celebration last Sunday of International Jazz Day on Passeig de Gràcia, which brought together more than 10,000 people, stood out, as well as the participation in the Cultural Regatta that will be held coinciding with the celebration of the America's Cup, with free small-format concerts at the Port Olímpic.
Although the festival will officially start on October 6 with Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist and composer Kamasi Washington, who will present the album Fearless movement, the first concert included within the festival will correspond to Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, stage name Laufey (pronounced "Lovi") who At 25 years old, she is considered one of the renovating voices of jazz. To her credit, Laufey already has a Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album for Bewitched, the second and last album to date by this artist with more than 3 million followers on social networks who will be able to see her live on July 16 at the Palau de la Música with few tickets already on sale.
The second advanced date will be starring Michel Camilo
Of the first wave of performances that were announced this Wednesday, and which represent 60% of the total, classic names stand out such as guitarists Pat Mehteny, who will present his album MoonDial, and John Scofield, collaborator of Miles Davis, who will perform at solo in the Paral·lel 62 room to navigate jazz, rock and country. In the same space you can hear saxophonist Chris Potter along with Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland with the Crosscurrents Trio project.
Judit Neddermann will celebrate the end of the tour of her fifth album, Lar, at the Apolo, while Andrea Motis will present her new project, Temblor, in a trio format and accompanied by several special guests, including Michael League, founder of Snarky Puppy, the singer Chilean Pascuala Ilabaca, and the cellist Jacques Morelenbaum, musical director among others of Caetano Veloso and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto. And of course the Sant Andreu Jazz Band will not miss the festival, offering a recital in tribute to Frank Sinatra at the Palau with the songs that made The Voice famous.
Within the De Cajón cycle, singers Miguel Poveda stands out, who will present at the Palau de la Música Poema del cante jondo, dedicated to Federico García Lorca, as well as Israel Fernández, who after passing through the Liceu visits the Palau this year, without forgetting the tribute to Paco de Lucía by Chano Domínguez or the performance of Chicuelo and Marco Mezquida at l'Auditori, with a new album under their belt.
The portrait of the artist corresponds in this edition of the Barcelona Jazz Festival to Rita Payes, protagonist of five concerts of which two have so far been announced: the collaboration with the composer Maria Schneider at the head of the Clasijazz Big Band, of which Payés is part of, and the performance with the Camerata Penedès, a string group with which he will perform El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla.
The musical proposal includes, as every year, the master classes that will accompany the concerts at the Conservatori del Liceu (they are included in the ticket), a space where you can listen to Fred Hersch, Anat Cohen, Joe Lovano, Nduduzo Makhathini and Cucurucho Valdés, Bebo's grandson, who will perform alongside Javier Colina, a good friend of the Cuban pianist, who will be honored 10 years after his death. In addition, these classes will be taught by Maria Schneider, Paquito D'Rivera and Pepe Rivero, who will perform on November 6 and 27 respectively in the Paral·lel 62 room.
Sofiane Pamart, Cimafunk and Tony Ann offer the most groundbreaking proposals for a Jazz festival that offers passes and discounts to facilitate access to the concerts for all audiences. “There are many famous festivals, but the local scene is laughable compared to what happens in Barcelona, there is so much talent here that we cannot cope,” said the artistic director, Joan Anton Cararach, giving context to a festival that was born as an international one. to help build a history rooted over the decades.
