A programme packed with international stars featuring, among others, Brad Mehldau, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Kenny Barron, Noa, Arlo Parks, Mulatu Astatke, Jorge Pardo, Buika, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot
The 56th Jazzaldia, running from July 21-25, offering a total of 60 free and paying concerts in 8 venues throughout the city, will be a smoke-free space.
Paying concerts:
San Telmo Museoa:
At 11 a.m., the Cloister of San Telmo Museum will host the 5 piano solo sessions starring four virtuosos in this complex and versatile speciality: on Wednesday 21, Franco D’Andrea, Italy’s master of Jazz, equally versed in traditional and avant-garde language; on the 22nd and 23rd, bringing two different programmes, the innovative and distinctive Marcin Masecki will pay tribute to the great Thelonious Monk on the first day and bring a nod back to ragtime on the second; Marco Mezquida, one of today’s most brilliant and promising pianists, will perform on July 24; and, finally, Iñaki Salvador, recipient of the Donostiako Jazzaldia award in 2020, will feature on Sunday 25.
FCC Victoria Eugenia Antzokia:
Every noon at 12:30, spectators can enjoy a programme dedicated to Spanish Jazz.
On July 21, the doyen of Catalan Jazz, La Locomotora Negra, will take to the stage as part of its farewell tour. At the same time on the following days, from the 22nd to the 25th, the SGAE Foundation has selected some of the most interesting Spanish Jazz proposals, aiming to boost their presence on the international scene. This seventh edition of JazzEñe comes with 4 double sessions uniting the best of Spanish Jazz: on Thursday 22, the Ariel Brínguez Quintet followed by the Caminero Quintet; on July 23, the trios fronted by two great pianists, Daniel García and Chano Domínguez; on the 24th, the Catalan quintet Smack Dab and the Galician trio Sumrrá; and, finally, on Sunday 25, the trumpet player Alba Careta and the Andalusian duo Manolo y Curra.
Kutxabank Kursaal Auditorioa:
The Kursaal Auditorium will host a single concert every evening.
Britain’s fresh young soul-folk singer, Arlo Parks, will perform on July 21 at 18:45; Buika, from the Balearic Islands, returning from a stay America and following collaborations with artists including Chick Corea, will give a concert on the 22nd at the same time; Jorge Pardo and Niño Josele will pay tribute to the self-same Chick Corea on July 23 in quartet format; and there will be yet another tribute on the 24th from the brilliant young Italian pianist Giovanni Guidi, this time to the Argentine sax player Gato Barbieri – the protagonist of excellent concerts at the Jazzaldia – at the front of the star-packed sextet “Ojos de Gato” alongside American and Transalpine musicians; finally, on July 25, at 17:30, Sílvia Pérez Cruz will take to the stage with her Farsa Circus Band to present her most recent work alongside some of our most interesting young musicians.
Trinitate Plaza Keler:
The double sessions closing the daily programme will kick off at the perfect Jazz time of 21:00, at least by local San Sebastian standards.
First on the programme for July 21 is the quartet fronted by the trumpet player Dave Douglas and the pianist Franco D’Andrea, an Italo-American proposal from these two versatile and experienced musicians. Next, one of the finest and most interesting singers on the international Jazz scene with a bright future ahead of her, the French-American artiste Cécile McLorin Salvant will perform accompanied by her favourite pianist, Sullivan Fortner.
The next day, the 22nd, the Cubans and friends since childhood Aymée Nuviola and Gonzalo Rubalcaba will offer a programme of Caribbean music and boleros with their incomparable panache; the duo will be followed by the Ethiopian vibraphonist and percussionist Mulatu Astatke, giving his first performance at the Jazzaldia.
On Friday 23, two fantastic pianists, Marco Mezquida, with his latest project, Talismán, and the maestro of maestros, Kenny Barron, with an All Star Quartet notably featuring the vibraphonist Steve Nelson.
The 24th will bring an unusual and exciting session when the French-Syrian flute player Naïssam Jalal takes to the stage with her quintet to bring us her extraordinary music merging East and West. Jalal will be followed by Israel’s Noa, with the guitarist Gil D’Or and the pianist from San Sebastian Iñaki Salvador, to present her recently released Afterallogy.
Finally, on July 25 at 20:00, two leading lights of Jazz will make an appearance with their respective trios: the pianist Brad Mehldau, lyrical and brilliant, and the guitarist Bill Frisell, bringing his masterly and wondrous sound.
Chillida Leku:
As a new feature this year, the 56th Jazzaldia is organising two concerts at Chillida Leku. Both concerts will start at 19:00 to make the most of the magnificent backdrop offered by the Museum as the sun goes down.
On Sunday July 18, at a pre-festival session, singer Cécile McLorin Salvant, on Saturday July 24, the Ceramic Dog trio brought to us by the always surprising guitarist Marc Ribot, will present his latest work, Hope.
Tickets and passes:
The tickets and passes for all paying concerts will go on sale at 11:30 on June 9.
The passes, for the different venues and times, will enjoy a discount of 20% with respect to the single ticket prices. They can be purchased from the Victoria Eugenia Theatre ticket desk, the Festival website www.jazzaldia.eus, Donostia Kultura www.donostiakultura.eus and from the other Jazzaldia venues.
Free concerts:
A programme of free concerts will also run, open to the public, with controlled seating allocated in order of arrival, on the Kursaal terraces, Frigo Gunea and Guuk Gunea, in five sessions taking place in the afternoon-evening, from July 21 to 25.
A total of 25 concerts featuring, as well as foreign artists Jean Toussaint, Éric Séva and the group Bendaki, the 10 local groups selected this year by Jazzaldia, 5 local groups to have released an album in 2019 or 2020 and 4 groups selected from the Katapulta Tour.
Finally, the Jazz section for families, Txikijazz, comes with four sessions, also free of charge, on the Guuk Gunea terrace and at Kutxa Kultur Tabakalera, running from July 22-25 at 12 noon.
Smoke-free Festival:
All of the San Sebastian Jazz Festival venues will be smoke-free, including those which are outdoors.
