Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Monty Alexander, Kenny Garrett, Dave Holland and local musicians will perform at the Teatre Principal and in the neighbourhoods and towns of Valencia
The 26th edition of the Valencia Jazz Festival will bring together international and Valencian artists who will perform between July 4 and 30 at the Teatro Principal in Valencia and in various neighborhoods and towns of the city. All indoor concerts will start at 8:00 p.m. and prices will range from 5 to 35. The exception is the concert on July 8, that of Dainius Pulauskas Group, which will be held at 12:00 noon. The image campaign design is by Boke Bazán.
The president of the Palau de la Música, Gloria Tello, the director of the Palau, Vicent Ros, the musical director Daniel Abad and the artistic advisor of the Festival, Enrique Monfort, presented today the poster of this festival “with a good number of Grammys and nominations”. International artists have highlighted the presence of jazz “legends” such as bassist Dave Holland (July 4), who has not visited the festival since 1999 and who arrives this year with his new quartet. “He’s a standout member” of a generation that contributed to the jazz bass moving from swing and post-bop to modernity.” They also highlighted the performance of pianist Monty Alexander, who debuts at the Festival (5 July), “covering a wide range of jazz and Jamaica: the American songbook and blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae”.
Lithuanian band Dainius Pulauskas Group (July 8) also debuts at the festival, as does Kurt Elling (July 11); and return vocalist Dianne Reeves (July 9), and saxophonist Kenny Garrett (July 12).
Valencian jazz will be present with the Valencia Orchestra together with pianist Albert Sanz, under the direction of Daniel Abad (7 July). They present the symphonic version of “La espuma de mar”, “a very personal and intimate project by Sanz”. Likewise, pianist Alex Conde will participate in the Festival with Los Indultados (6 July) to offer “a project of fusion of flamenco and jazz”. On the other hand, the Valencian guitarist Ximo Tébar returns with the Brazilian singer Gladston Galliza (8 July), “to fuse the rhythms and harmonies of Brazil and the Mediterranean”.
In addition, the Palau de la Música International Jazz Seminar returns, organized by Sedajazz, which reaches its XXIII edition and will take place from June 27 to 30. It is aimed at students and professional jazz musicians who will be able to attend Master Classes of different subjects, jam sessions and other complementary activities. This year the activities will also take place at the headquarters of the Sedajazz collective.
Jazz in the Neighbourhoods and Towns of Valencia
There will also be free outdoor concerts in the cycle “Jazz in the neighborhoods and towns of Valencia”, which this year will take place from July 15 to 30, and will all begin at 9:00 pm. Sedajazz Kids Band starts the cycle in the Plaza de la Reina (15 July); Continue Arahi Martinez Latin Quintet in Central Park (July 16); Joan Soler Quintet at the Blasco Ibáñez House Museum (22 July); Valmuz in the village El Palmar (July 23); Le Dancing Pepa Swing Band in the Malilla Urban Park (29 July) and Plena 79 Salsa Orchestra in Patraix Square (30 July).
President Gloria Tello described the programme as “a programme with a wide variety of styles such as classical, contemporary, fusion jazz and a powerful vocal presence”. “A festival with top-level international figures who bring together 11 Grammys and 44 nominations, and great Valencian professionals, since out of 15 concerts, 9 have professionals from our land”. “We will once again extend the festival to the neighbourhoods and towns of Valencia, in order to continue bringing Valencian jazz closer to citizens”, he added.
Vicent Ros reviewed the poster and highlighted the “formative and didactic nature of the festival, the International Jazz Seminar and the Jazz cycle in the neighborhoods and towns of Valencia”. Finally, Enrique Monfort highlighted “the presence of the Valencia Orchestra as the core character of the festival”.