Eurojazz: a festival for a continent of jazz

Eurojazz is a festival that is being held to mark the Spanish Presidency of the EU, although it certainly doesn't need such important justification. The programme of events will be performed at the San Juan Evangelista Music and Jazz Club (from 26 February to 26 March) and at the Reina Sofía National Museum and Art Centre (from 6 to 29 April). The event will come to an end on 26 June at the Puerta del Ángel venue in Madrid, as part of the simultaneous project “Europa en Vivo”. Before this, there will be time to catch jazz musicians such as Terje Rypdal, Bobo Stenson and Djabe playing for the first time in Spain.

The event's artistic director, Luis Martín, says Eurojazz “is a festival shared with the two countries that will succeed Spain in the Presidency of the EU, Belgium and Hungary; that's why we're aiming to relate the language of jazz with the cultural identity of Europe”. It is no surprise, therefore, that the original philosophy of this festival highlights the uniqueness of a musical genre that is nourished by meetings and exchanges, and by ebbs and flows, just like the people of Europe.

“There will be performances of jazz in all its forms, without barriers, and although this has arisen for a very specific reason [the Spanish Presidency of the EU], our aim is for it to continue and for new partners to join in future, in order to link this music and this project to society”, stressed Luis Martín during a press conference at the Reina Sofía Museum (22 February), which was also attended by the director of the museum, Manuel Borja-Villel; the director of Eurojazz, Concha Hernández; and the president and founder member of the San Juan Evangelista Music and Jazz Club, Alejandro Reyes.

San Juan Evangelista

The San Juan Evangelista programme kicks off with two young rising stars, the British group Portico Quartet and singer José James. These will be followed by the European Jazz Ensemble, led by the saxophonist Alan Skidmore, from London, and the three-piece band led by Italian pianist Stefano Bollani.

The programme will be completed by the Hungarian group Djabe; the Nostalgia trio led by the young German trombonist Nils Wogram; the latest project by the Spanish drummer Carlos “Sir Charles González”; and two patriarchs of European jazz, the pianists Bobo Stenson, from Sweden, and Rome's Enrico Pieranunzi.

Reina Sofía

The Reina Sofía Museum meanwhile will host some of the most contemporary developments in jazz, some of which are rooted in the culture of free and avant-garde jazz, as is the case with the music of the French saxophonist and clarinettist Louis Sclavis; the Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal; and the pianist Rita Marcotulli, from Rome.

The Swedish trio led by pianist Martin Tingvall and the Spanish trio made up of Iñaki Salvador (piano), Francis Posé (double bass) and José Vázquez “Roper” complete the lineup at the Reina Sofía.

This major European jazz festival will finish on 26 June with a performance by the Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine at the Puerta del Ángel venue in Madrid, which will also serve to bring the “Europa en Vivo” project to a close, in which musicians of all genres from Spain, Belgium and Hungary will be taking part.