The Jazzing Festival is born
From the 25th to the 28th of September the Sant Andreu district will be infected by the vibrant energy of jazz
The first edition of the Jazzing Festival is just around the corner – a festival that will bring vibrant jazz energy to a number of venues throughout the Sant Andreu district.
The aim of the festival is to bring jazz to all audiences and, as a result, help do away with some of the stereotypes that have surrounded this musical genre for generations, for example, that it is elitist and complicated. In recent years, the Sant Andreu district has promoted a number of jazz-related initiatives that have been very popular, such as the case of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, a junior big band composed of students of the Taller de Músics de Sant Andreu (Music Workshop) under the direction of Joan Chamorro and other soloists, including Andrea Motis.
On the opening day of the festival, Sunday the 21st, the youngest members of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, The Young Cats, will perform in the Plaça Comerç at 11 am, followed by the Jove Big Band del Taller de Músics at 12:30. The trio led by Carla Motis will perform in the Bar Colombia at 6 pm and, at 8 pm in the Bar Versalles, Quim Lecina & the Nou Brownie Jazz Quartet will present El Viatge, a project based on the homonymous book of poems by David H. Rosenthal. This will be followed by an open jam session headed by the Marc Martin Trío.
The main block of the festival will begin on the 25th with a double bill in the Sant Andreu Theatre (SAT!) featuring the Ignasi Terraza trio and the Andrea Motis & Joan Chamorro Quintet with Scott Robinson.
On Friday the 26th at 5.30 pm the SAT! will screen A film about kids and music, a musical documentary about the Sant Andreu Jazz Band directed by Ramon Tort. Another double bill will begin at 8 pm, this time featuring the Vicens Martin Dream Big Band & Gemma Abreí followed by the DO New Ensemble with The Next Generation.
At the weekend the music will take to the streets and a triple bill on the 27th in the Plaça Masades will feature the Jazz Orchestra del Raval at 11 am, the Jamboree Big Latin Band at 12 midday, and La Locomotora Negra at 1 pm. Beginning at 8 pm the SAT! will feature another double bill, this time with the David Mengual Free Spirits Big Band and The New Catalan Ensemble with Andrea Motis and Joan Chamorro.
Sunday the 28th will be the turn of one of the upcoming local stars, Eva Fernández, who will perform in the Plaça Can Fabra at 11.30 am accompanied by the Joan Chamorro Group and at 1 pm with the Original Jazz Orquestra del Taller de Músics. At the same venue at 12.30 pm, Swing Maniacs will preside over an open “lindy hop” dance class. Later the same day, at 7 pm, the full Sant Andreu Jazz Band will put the closing touches to the festival with a concert in the SAT!
The Jazzing Festival will run from the 25th to the 28th of September in different venues in the Sant Andreu district. Some performances are free, others are not, and more information is available on the official festival website.