jazz festival

82 concerts, 20 master classes, and meetings with artists from October 11 until December 27

This month brings an exciting selection of film festivals to explore music, the environment, and horror, as well as a brilliant list of gigs

Music festivals are hugely popular in November across Catalonia as is Barcelona’s independent film festival

Film festivals, theatre festivals, and the biggest football game in the world - October is packed with things to do in Catalonia

The Vijazz Penedès festival sees Archie Sheep, Madeleine Peyroux, and Monty Alexander play free concerts in Vilafranca del Penedès

The 47^th International Jazz Festival in Barcelona has organised a public celebration called ‘Jazz and Food’ this Saturday, the 3^rd of October, at ‘Parc del Centre’ in Poble Nou neighbourhood. There will be 12 hours of free music programmed for the event and a wide range of food trucks selling international street food. The party in the park is part of a new programme which was proposed on the 40^th anniversary of the festival. “It was an idea we pursued for years and now it is a reality. We have found the formula,” stated president of The Project, Tito Ramoneda, who recalled that the park has a special symbolism for the festival and said that he wants to continue celebrating the festival’s opening there. Between 20,000 and 25,000 people are expected to attend the event. 

In 2002, the ‘Black Music Festival’ was born when the ‘La Mirona’ concert room was created in Salt, a small city next to Girona. The festival wanted to become a shop window for both local and international artists of black music styles that have evolved from their original soul music source. This weekend it will kick off its 14^th edition, which brings together almost 50 artists from English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Jazz greats Maceo Parker and Richard Bona will be the stars of the 2015 edition but other great soul, blues, funk, hip hop and reggae musicians such as Myles Sanko – a soul revelation artist from the UK – and The Coup – a controversial hip hop and soul band from the USA – will complete the lineup of the festival, which ends on 21 March. 

An intimate concert kicks off Barcelona’s month of jazz concerts, displaying some of the best local and international artists. The 44th ‘Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona’ will run until the 30th of November. Pianist Omar Sosa and trumpeter Paolo Fresu opened the festival interpreting their 2011 disc ‘Alma’ (‘Soul’), together with Galician pipe player Cristina Pato. The prestigious pianist Chano Dominguez was also supposed to go on stage, but he was obliged to cancel his participation for health reasons. The 2012 Barcelona jazz festival presents a varied programme, with 56 concerts by 80 bands including Chick Corea, Sony Rollins, Brad Mehldau, Michel Camilo (with Tomatito), Mavis Staples, Esperanza Spalding and Maria de Medeiros.

The ‘Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival’ gave its gold medal to George Wein, a prominent jazz promoter from America. Wein received the award on the main stage of the Newport Festival in the United States in front of an audience of 7,000 people. Wein recognised the uniqueness of Barcelona’s jazz festival.

The Catalan capital will be enjoying the 43rd edition of its jazz festival until December 1st. In the current edition, many Catalan artists will participate in the festival, such as Andrea Motis, Lluís Coloma, La Vella Dixeland or Biel Ballester. International figures such as Michel Camilo, Omar Sosa or Paolo Conte will also be on Barcelona’s stages.