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The total number of spectators came to 168,000 The dates for the 55th Heineken Jazzaldia are 22-26 July 2020 From the artistic point of view, the 54th Heineken Jazzaldia was extraordinary. All of the concerts were a hit with the audience and, generally speaking, with the critics. While it’s not easy to choose the best among them, if we had to establish a podium, the highest step would probably be occupied by Maria Schneider, Atomic and John Zorn with his Bagatelles Marathon. Maria Schneider is prodigious as a composer, as an arranger and as a conductor. She needs an orchestra capable of rendering her work’s range of hues and intensity. A powerful yet subtle orchestra. Ensemble Denada, composed of extraordinary Norwegian instrumentalists, is that very orchestra. The concert they gave in the Plaza de la Trinidad has already gone down in the history of the Festival as one of its most memorable. John Zorn’s Bagatelles Marathon too will be remembered for a long time to come. The entirety of Zorn’s wide-ranging and complex musical universe condensed into two concerts of almost three hours with the participation of nineteen musicians grouped into different formations. John Zorn received this year’s Donostiako Jazzaldia Award, with which the Festival recognises the musicians who have had a special influence on the history, development and transmission of jazz. Atomic is, in itself, an innovative, inquisitive group overflowing with musical ideas. And if a quintet of this calibre surrounds itself with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, a group of seven first-rate Norwegian musicians, it’s easy to imagine that their concert in the Kursaal Auditorium was bound to be memorable. Also on the imaginary podium of the 54th Heineken Jazzaldia would be two illustrious veteran sax players, Houston Person and Charlies McPherson, representatives of a generation we’ll greatly miss when it disappears. The way they perform ballads is unique. These are musicians who exude wisdom and elegance, who instantly put the audience under their spell. Completing the perfect line-up of this 54th Heineken Jazzaldia were the big names topping the bill, whose spirit and popularity drew huge crowds. None of them let us down, and all continue to climb the steps of their career: Jamie Cullum, Joe Jackson, Diana Krall, Sílvia Pérez Cruz with Toquinho and Javier Colina. Joan Baez gave an especially moving concert before a packed Zurriola Beach on the penultimate gig of her “Fare Thee Well” tour, one of the last chances to applaud a legend. The Japanese cycle too was highly interesting. It was a huge surprise for the audience, who were generally unaware of the high level of jazz produced in Japan and the excellence of its performers. The recitals given by the pianists Chihiro Yamanaka and Ai Kuwabara were simply extraordinary, and the young guitarist Rei won over the spectators with her nerve and powerful stage presence. On the subject of Basque groups, one aspect worthy of note is the increasing prominence of female artists, referring both to their numbers and to their quality, in jazz groups (Reunion Big Band, Lurpekariak, Juan José Cabillas with Strings, The Funk & Risketeers...), rock bands (Belako, Nøgen) and in solo projects (Ainhoa Larrañaga, Sara Zozaya). The audience deserves a special mention too; we should probably even create an award to thank them for their loyalty and education. If the weather’s good, like on the first day, they gather en masse with exemplary civic behaviour. If it’s bad, they’re still there, undaunted, cloaked in the waterproof ponchos handed out by the organisation, encouraging the musicians to give their best. It’s true that this year the rain and the wind were particularly inclement, causing a great deal of trouble and preventing us from hitting the record audience numbers intimated by the throngs at the opening Jazz Band Ball. In this context, the total of 168,000 spectators are a fine demonstration that the Heineken Jazzaldia continues to hold fast as a popular and participatory event. Also worthy of mention and thanks is the Festival team. A combination of young and highly experienced stage managers (most of whom were in fact women) assisted by enthusiastic workers skilfully handled the problems caused by the bad weather. Nothing and nobody stops this Festival and preparations are already underway for the 55th edition, with the exciting yet complicated challenge of topping one that has just ended.   [post_title] => Excellent artistic standards and public response define a fabulous 54th Heineken Jazzaldia [post_excerpt] => The total number of spectators came to 168,000 [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => el-elevado-nivel-artistico-y-la-respuesta-del-publico-definen-un-excelente-54-heineken-jazzaldia-2 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-07-30 10:50:43 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-07-30 08:50:43 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://heinekenjazzaldia.eus/sin-categoria-en/el-elevado-nivel-artistico-y-la-respuesta-del-publico-definen-un-excelente-54-heineken-jazzaldia-2/ [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 20431 [post_author] => 2 [post_date] => 2019-07-28 14:30:35 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-28 12:30:35 [post_content] => From the point of view of contemporary jazz, everything John Zorn touches turns to gold. He’s an untiring composer, a sharp selector of musicians and a fastidious band conductor. He has converted his latest book of compositions, The Bagatelles, into a concert with the name of Bagatelles Marathon. Seven different groups, nineteen musicians, an uninterrupted two-and-a-half hours of musical torrent. Everything goes in the creative universe of Zorn and the musicians in his team; everything, that is, of exquisite quality. Yesterday’s other protagonist was a pianist. I can hear you say: Diana Krall, of course. Well yes. Diana Krall is always the protagonist, her star shines with its own light. It’s a luxury to have her here in San Sebastian. Hers was the first concert to sell out, and given the reaction of the audience and critics to her yesterday’s performance, she’ll continue to sell out every time she plays here. Diana Krall needs no further words of praise. But in fact we had been referring to the Japanese pianist, Ai Kuwabara. The public packed into the Victoria Eugenia Theatre couldn’t believe that they were witnessing such a wonderful discovery, and in a free concert to boot. While Ai Kuwabara is indeed a prodigy of piano technique and brilliant execution, she has something else that prevents her from falling into simple academic rendition: ideas of her own which enable her to produce a unique reinterpretation of some of the jazz classics. In the Plaza de la Trinidad, moments of great pleasure were brought to us not only by Diana Krall, but also by Houston Person, one of the tenor sax’s big names, who plays ballads as only the veterans know how. And the other illustrious and veteran saxophonist at this Festival, Charles McPherson, gave a fantastic concert in the Victoria Eugenia. The San Telmo Museum hosts small-format concerts which are enjoying rising popularity with the public. Yesterday it was the turn of Baldo Martínez and his group, and the Galician double bassist once again demonstrated that he is one of the most representative musicians of contemporary jazz made in Spain. [post_title] => It’s not a bagatelle; it’s pure gold [post_excerpt] => From the point of view of contemporary jazz, everything John Zorn touches turns to gold. He’s an untiring composer, a sharp selector of musicians and a fastidious band conductor. He has converted his latest book of compositions, The Bagatelles, into a concert with the name of Bagatelles Marathon. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => ez-da-huskeria-urrea-baizik [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-07-28 17:21:57 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-07-28 15:21:57 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://heinekenjazzaldia.eus/sin-categoria-en/ez-da-huskeria-urrea-baizik-2/ [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 20333 [post_author] => 2 [post_date] => 2019-07-27 14:32:59 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-27 12:32:59 [post_content] => The Atomic and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra combo whipped up a whirlwind leading us to believe that we were listening to free jazz, when in fact the music is precisely written down note for note. In a concert calling for intensity and concentration, these Scandinavian musicians united in the Kursaal Auditorium rolled out a fine example of their excellent savoir-faire. There was also intensity by the bucket-load in the Plaza de la Trinidad. Joshua Redman is one of the most charismatic sax players to have come out of the 90s. All of his visits to the Heineken Jazzaldia have left us wanting more. This time he came with three fabulous musicians, Scott Colley, Ron Miles and Dave King, to present his latest album, Still Dreaming, considered by the critics to be the culminating moment of his career. For their part, the group Unspeakable Garbage is a sort of spin-off of Mostly Other People Do the Killing, currently one of North America’s most popular bands. Two of MOPDtK’s souls, Moppa Elliott and Ron Stabinsky, front this new project, a real steamroller of sound. The unrelenting rain, which drove many spectators to leave the square, deprived them of greater triumph. The chemistry between Martirio, one of Spanish copla’s most illustrious singers, and the jazz pianist Chano Domínguez continues to buzz. Twenty-three years after launching their album Coplas de madrugá at our Festival, they returned to bring us their new project, based on the work of the Cuban pianist and singer, Bola de Nieve. Judging by the reaction of the audience packing out the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, the project is a hit. The Japanese pianist Chihiro Yamanaka is one of the essential pieces of Japan’s jazz scene. Drawing on a classic sound, strongly influenced by the legendary Oscar Peterson, her music has evolved and acquired new hues. Her concerts, such as the one she gave in the Victoria Eugenia, are a joy embraced with delight by the audience. The Green Stage would have attracted a much larger audience had the weather been kinder. That said, the performers played to the satisfaction of their faithful followers. Jaime Stinus, legendary guitarist from San Sebastian in the 70s, returned to his city to present the album Canvis, recorded with the Catalan singer, Xavi Vidal. Neneh Cherry remains faithful to herself in her album Broken Politics, focal point of the concert, with a ground-breaking aesthetic and musical style. [post_title] => Intensity, concentration, diversity [post_excerpt] => The Atomic and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra combo whipped up a whirlwind leading us to believe that we were listening to free jazz, when in fact the music is precisely written down note for note. In a concert calling for intensity and concentration, these Scandinavian musicians united in the Kursaal Auditorium rolled out a fine example of their excellent savoir-faire. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => intensity-concentration-diversity [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-07-27 14:32:59 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-07-27 12:32:59 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://heinekenjazzaldia.eus/?p=20333 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 20290 [post_author] => 2 [post_date] => 2019-07-26 14:37:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-26 12:37:00 [post_content] => A huge storm unleashed a downpour on San Sebastian at 8 o’clock in the evening. The rain stopped at 9, and the concert in the Plaza de la Trinidad was able to start on time, as it always does, with the chiming of the hour on the Santa María Basilica clock. The square was packed with an audience decked out in the ponchos issued by the organisation. In the end, everyone was delighted to have been there. Because the concert given by the Donny McCaslin Quintet, in the first half, and by the Maria Schneider & Ensemble Denada in the second, was one of the most impressive in the festival’s recent history. A brilliant McCaslin, splendidly accompanied by his dynamic musicians, is today one of the soundest values of contemporary jazz. The Norwegian band Ensemble Denada is a prodigy of group accomplishment combined with the excellence of its soloists; and when fronted by the directing, composing and arranging of Maria Schneider, things could hardly get any better. In the Kursaal Auditorium, Joe Jackson opened his concert at full pelt. Fearless, like a daring trapeze artist. Many were those in the audience who asked themselves how he was going to keep up the intensity. A pointless question. A career of forty years and twenty-one albums isn’t made in a day, and if you’ve invented new wave and taken a tour through reggae, jump and R&B before returning to your original fury, it’s no problem at all for the likes of Joe Jackson. Goshu ondo is a type of Japanese traditional dance. Around its beat, the delicate pianist Eri Yamamoto has constructed a delightful musical piece for jazz trio and choir. The trio is hers, and their mutual empathy is flawless. The voices are provided by a local group, the veteran Coro Easo, highly respected and acclaimed at home and abroad. Taken through its steps by Gorka Miranda, the choir perfectly understood Eri Yamamoto who, as well as being a fine instrumentalist, also revealed a warm personality. This was a pleasant and emotional performance played to a packed audience in the Victoria Eugenia Theatre. Zahara began her career as a singer-songwriter of gentle guitar playing and captivating voice. Today we’re in Zahara’s rock period at the front of a hugely effective band as the vehicle for her new compositions. If the intimate Zahara enchanted listeners, her rock persona simply charms them. Her numerous fans were there, cheering her on as she performed on the Green Stage. Following her on the same stage was the group from Barcelona, Dorian, all of a reference in today’s Spanish music scene with a successful international career, moving between new wave and electronics. Their show is musically and aesthetically striking and those who gathered to watch them on the beach were delighted. A hugely successful day which would have hit new heights without the rain. While a number of the concerts on the Kursaal terraces had to be cancelled, for the main events on the programme it was business as usual and both the Trinidad and Green stages proceeded normally; of course the same applies to the closed venues, such as the Victoria Eugenia, the Kursaal and San Telmo where, incidentally, Paul San Martín and Lluís Coloma were the protagonists of an intense piano duo. [post_title] => Jazzing in the rain [post_excerpt] => A huge storm unleashed a downpour on San Sebastian at 8 o’clock in the evening. The rain stopped at 9, and the concert in the Plaza de la Trinidad was able to start on time, as it always does, with the chiming of the hour on the Santa María Basilica clock. The square was packed with an audience decked out in the ponchos issued by the organisation. 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Joan Baez is a myth who became a reality yesterday for the 44,000 people who gathered on the Zurriola Beach, before the Green Stage, to hear the great dame of folk. A legend who joins others who have preceded her in the same setting, such as Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and B.B. King. It was also the last chance to see her: as she herself has announced, at the end of this “Fare Thee Well Tour”, she will no longer give concerts in big venues. The memory she leaves is excellent. Added to her timeless repertoire were nods to the local public, with songs like Mikel Laboa’s Txoria Txori and the hymn No nos moverán. She bid us adieu with Fare Thee Well.

Jamie Cullum’s not a myth, not yet. He’s too young to be one; but if he continues in this impeccable direction, he’ll be one in thirty years. He’s already an idol in San Sebastian. All of his concerts in our city have been magnificent, without fail. That’s why yesterday’s gig was unlikely to be any different, and it didn’t let us down. He attracted a crowd of 53,000 people, and had them in the palm of his hand from the very first minute, continuing to enthral them for another two hours. He ended on an emotional note, improvising a love song to Donostia tied in with I’ve Got You Under My Skin.

The best part of the Festival’s opening celebration with the Jazz Band Ball was the audience. As usual. With its continual to-and-fro between the four stages set up around the Kursaal Centre, the audience gave yet another lesson on how to conduct themselves and have fun.

As an example, their enthusiastic reaction to Love & Revenge: Music and Cinema from the Arab World, combining images from old Egyptian films with cutting-edge music taking its inspiration from Arab instruments. Undoubtedly unique, this is a performance requiring an open cultural sensitivity for the appreciation of its full intensity.

Its variety of styles is part and parcel of the Jazz Band Ball. The most traditional of jazz styles were brought to us by two North American bands: Dan Barrett Classic Jazz All Stars and Saxophone Con-Clave. The modern counterpoint was provided by Elkano Browning Cream, a multinational trio fronted by San Sebastian’s Mikel Azpiroz with an easy-going groove.

And for easy-going we have the Japanese guitarist and singer, Rei. With a fresh, young image, the world is her oyster for this new figure of Nippon blues-pop since having been signed by a major record label. With a cheeky stage approach, great guitar playing and a naturally engaging character, Rei has great future ahead of her.

Another person to have left his mark on the opening fest is the Anglo-Nigerian singer Ola Onabulé, a real gentleman of soul, who delivered his songs with vocal virtuosity and profound emotional intensity.

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Everything’s ready to go for the Festival, to run in San Sebastian from July 24-28, with 100 performances on 15 stages, more than two-thirds of them free

John Zorn will receive the Donostiako Jazzaldia 2019 Award The 54th Heineken Jazzaldia will run in San Sebastian from July 24 to 28 with a programme of 100 performances, more than two-thirds of them free for the general public, on 15 different stages. Last year the Festival attracted more than 171,500 spectators to its different venues, including the Zurriola Beach, the Kursaal Auditorium, the Plaza de la Trinidad and the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, all hugely iconic parts of the city. Among the first-class Festival headliners are Joan Baez, Jamie Cullum, Diana Krall, John Zorn, Donny McCaslin, Maria Schneider, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Joshua Redman, Joe Jackson and Neneh Cherry, not to mention a long list also including Houston Person, Charles McPherson, Atomic, Moppa Elliott, Martirio & Chano Domínguez, Zahara, Dorian as well as a representation of contemporary Japanese jazz, with figures like Eri Yamamoto and Chihiro Yamanaka. Donostiako Jazzaldia Award The Donostiako Jazzaldia Award was introduced in 1994 to acknowledge the career and example of enormously important artists in the past and present of jazz. The 2019 Award will be presented during the Festival to the North American saxophone player and composer John Zorn, an essential figure of avant-garde jazz. Those to have been presented with the Award constitute an impressive list of some of the leading jazz talents. They include Doc Cheatham, Hank Jones, Chick Corea, Kenny Barron, Ray Brown, Elvin Jones, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Wayne Shorter, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Ellis Marsalis. [post_title] => Joan Baez, Jamie Cullum, Diana Krall, John Zorn, Donny McCaslin, Maria Schneider, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Joshua Redman, Joe Jackson and Neneh Cherry top the bill at the 54th Heineken Jazzaldia [post_excerpt] => Everything’s ready to go for the Festival, to run in San Sebastian from July 24-28, with 100 performances on 15 stages, more than two-thirds of them free [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => joan-baez-jamie-cullum-diana-krall-john-zorn-donny-mccaslin-maria-schneider-silvia-perez-cruz-joshua-redman-joe-jackson-and-neneh-cherry-top-the-bill-at-the-54th-heineken-jazzaldia [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-07-24 10:28:05 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-07-24 08:28:05 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://heinekenjazzaldia.eus/?p=20120 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 6 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 20476 [post_author] => 2 [post_date] => 2019-07-29 13:45:20 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-29 11:45:20 [post_content] =>

The total number of spectators came to 168,000 The dates for the 55th Heineken Jazzaldia are 22-26 July 2020 From the artistic point of view, the 54th Heineken Jazzaldia was extraordinary. All of the concerts were a hit with the audience and, generally speaking, with the critics. While it’s not easy to choose the best among them, if we had to establish a podium, the highest step would probably be occupied by Maria Schneider, Atomic and John Zorn with his Bagatelles Marathon. Maria Schneider is prodigious as a composer, as an arranger and as a conductor. She needs an orchestra capable of rendering her work’s range of hues and intensity. A powerful yet subtle orchestra. Ensemble Denada, composed of extraordinary Norwegian instrumentalists, is that very orchestra. The concert they gave in the Plaza de la Trinidad has already gone down in the history of the Festival as one of its most memorable. John Zorn’s Bagatelles Marathon too will be remembered for a long time to come. The entirety of Zorn’s wide-ranging and complex musical universe condensed into two concerts of almost three hours with the participation of nineteen musicians grouped into different formations. John Zorn received this year’s Donostiako Jazzaldia Award, with which the Festival recognises the musicians who have had a special influence on the history, development and transmission of jazz. Atomic is, in itself, an innovative, inquisitive group overflowing with musical ideas. And if a quintet of this calibre surrounds itself with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, a group of seven first-rate Norwegian musicians, it’s easy to imagine that their concert in the Kursaal Auditorium was bound to be memorable. Also on the imaginary podium of the 54th Heineken Jazzaldia would be two illustrious veteran sax players, Houston Person and Charlies McPherson, representatives of a generation we’ll greatly miss when it disappears. The way they perform ballads is unique. These are musicians who exude wisdom and elegance, who instantly put the audience under their spell. Completing the perfect line-up of this 54th Heineken Jazzaldia were the big names topping the bill, whose spirit and popularity drew huge crowds. None of them let us down, and all continue to climb the steps of their career: Jamie Cullum, Joe Jackson, Diana Krall, Sílvia Pérez Cruz with Toquinho and Javier Colina. Joan Baez gave an especially moving concert before a packed Zurriola Beach on the penultimate gig of her “Fare Thee Well” tour, one of the last chances to applaud a legend. The Japanese cycle too was highly interesting. It was a huge surprise for the audience, who were generally unaware of the high level of jazz produced in Japan and the excellence of its performers. The recitals given by the pianists Chihiro Yamanaka and Ai Kuwabara were simply extraordinary, and the young guitarist Rei won over the spectators with her nerve and powerful stage presence. On the subject of Basque groups, one aspect worthy of note is the increasing prominence of female artists, referring both to their numbers and to their quality, in jazz groups (Reunion Big Band, Lurpekariak, Juan José Cabillas with Strings, The Funk & Risketeers...), rock bands (Belako, Nøgen) and in solo projects (Ainhoa Larrañaga, Sara Zozaya). The audience deserves a special mention too; we should probably even create an award to thank them for their loyalty and education. If the weather’s good, like on the first day, they gather en masse with exemplary civic behaviour. If it’s bad, they’re still there, undaunted, cloaked in the waterproof ponchos handed out by the organisation, encouraging the musicians to give their best. It’s true that this year the rain and the wind were particularly inclement, causing a great deal of trouble and preventing us from hitting the record audience numbers intimated by the throngs at the opening Jazz Band Ball. In this context, the total of 168,000 spectators are a fine demonstration that the Heineken Jazzaldia continues to hold fast as a popular and participatory event. Also worthy of mention and thanks is the Festival team. A combination of young and highly experienced stage managers (most of whom were in fact women) assisted by enthusiastic workers skilfully handled the problems caused by the bad weather. Nothing and nobody stops this Festival and preparations are already underway for the 55th edition, with the exciting yet complicated challenge of topping one that has just ended.   [post_title] => Excellent artistic standards and public response define a fabulous 54th Heineken Jazzaldia [post_excerpt] => The total number of spectators came to 168,000 [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => el-elevado-nivel-artistico-y-la-respuesta-del-publico-definen-un-excelente-54-heineken-jazzaldia-2 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-07-30 10:50:43 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-07-30 08:50:43 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://heinekenjazzaldia.eus/sin-categoria-en/el-elevado-nivel-artistico-y-la-respuesta-del-publico-definen-un-excelente-54-heineken-jazzaldia-2/ [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [comment_count] => 0 [current_comment] => -1 [found_posts] => 114 [max_num_pages] => 19 [max_num_comment_pages] => 0 [is_single] => [is_preview] => [is_page] => [is_archive] => 1 [is_date] => [is_year] => [is_month] => [is_day] => [is_time] => [is_author] => 1 [is_category] => [is_tag] => [is_tax] => [is_search] => [is_feed] => [is_comment_feed] => [is_trackback] => [is_home] => [is_404] => [is_comments_popup] => [is_paged] => 1 [is_admin] => [is_attachment] => [is_singular] => [is_robots] => [is_posts_page] => [is_post_type_archive] => [query_vars_hash:WP_Query:private] => 68fb64fb786b21b98d1546a5fc0c8ab3 [query_vars_changed:WP_Query:private] => 1 [thumbnails_cached] => [stopwords:WP_Query:private] => )