The Freedom of Jazz

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If one musical genre stands out for its open-mindedness, for the almost infinite freedom with which it evolves and merges with other traditions and styles, it is Jazz. In a minimalist format, with a single instrument, or with a practically orchestral deployment, it has explored and continues to explore expressive possibilities, from primitive cultures to the most sophisticated forms of experimentation. It is said that Miles Davis invited John Coltrane not to worry about hitting a wrong note. When it happened to him ---he explained--- what he did was repeat the supposed "false" note, so that the very notion of error disappeared, in the construction of an already improvised, genuine, free discourse.

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The Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival, which in its current edition will probably extend beyond January 2021 ---due to the obligatory postponement of concerts, the organizers inform--- is one of the benchmark cultural events in the music scene, for decades. Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins, and Bill Evans have played in Barcelona. Some of the main international artists continue to pass through the city's stages, within the framework of the Festival. The 52nd edition features names such as Brad Mehldau, a multifaceted pianist, who on November 4 ---all these dates are now up in the air or subject to confirmation--- will play solo at the Palau de la Música Catalana ---one of his favorite formats--- after his last visit as a soloist and composer with the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, two years ago.

Another of the great names that will meet at the Palau is Ute Lemper, who was seen as the new Marlene Dietrich. In the show on November 6, she will musically reveal the conversation held with the German diva, recognized for the characteristic cabaret aesthetic, and who made a career on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, "a three-hour telephone conversation ---the organizers specify--- that Lemper now recovers to build an anthological concert in which she reminds us of the unforgettable voice of Lili Marleen". In the show titled Rendez-vous with Marlene, the singer will be accompanied by a group consisting of drums, bass, piano and also violin.

But not only internationally established artists participate in the Festival, but also creators as active and restless as Marco Mezquida, present in different significant projects (he is responsible, for example, for the soundtrack of the play El combat del segle, by Denise Duncan, currently at the Sala Beckett), who as a performer demonstrates astonishing composure in front of his piano and a charming savoir-faire in his speeches, microphone in hand. In All about Marco, the Menorcan pianist will interact with three different musical ensembles. A show in which he will perform the pieces Talismán and Beethoven Collage, closing the triptych with the collaboration of the renowned flamenco guitarist Juan Gómez "Chicuelo". He will also perform on November 21 accompanied by saxophone and drums ---his project MAP--- together with the Barcelona Municipal Band, at the Auditori de Barcelona.

Sílvia Pérez Cruz, «Artist's Portrait»

An unmistakable and charismatic voice, who sang with Mezquida last season, will perform three times, being the featured artist this season, of whom a faithful portrait will be sketched. Together with double bassist Javier Colina at Sala Barts, on October 29, tickets have already sold out. Alone with a guitar, the concert titled Farsa ---her second performance--- will take place at the Palau de la Música, on November 11. A highly recommended concert, due to the intimate atmosphere expected, which will allow the singer to show her most personal creations. A third performance by Sílvia Pérez Cruz, revered by audience and critics, will take place on December 11 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu together with the Farsa Circus Band, to put not-so-minimalist music to that project of hers, which interrelates different arts.

The fusion and dialogue between genres, so characteristic of Jazz, gives rise ---within the framework of the Festival--- to a number of top-level artists from the flamenco world. Several concerts are worth highlighting in this regard. Such as, for example, that of Vicente Amigo, on November 13 at the Palau de la Música Catalana, whom Pat Metheny ---the organizers recall--- unreservedly defined as "the best guitarist in the world". On the same stage, a week later, Tomatito will perform, forming a sextet, with clapping and dancing by the invited artists. The genuine flamenco atmosphere will also be present at the concert of Miguel Poveda on December 2. A classic of the Festival who continues to evolve his own artistic language, and of whom it has been written: "How far will Miguel Poveda go? Undoubtedly the most gifted cantaor of his generation, capable of singing flamenco, copla and Catalan poems, and of moving us tirelessly".

We cannot avoid mentioning, also, the concert of a pair of artists with recognized careers, formed by Martirio and Chano Domínguez, who will perform at the Auditori de Sant Cugat, where the gospel group The Golden Gate Quartet can also be heard. Other concerts to keep in mind are the one that brings together the legendary Carles Benavent, Tino di Geraldo and Jorge Pardo; the concert starring pianist Marta Sánchez and trumpeter Ralph Alessi; or that of Tori Sparks, which can also be seen in streaming. Until the last dates, in January 2021, events of great interest have been programmed, culminating with the presence of the much-celebrated Andrea Motis with Randy Greer, and the for many unavoidable Locomotora Negra, a big band that year after year ---and it's already 50!--- attracts a mass of loyal public. More free and necessary than ever, a Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival inaugurated on October 28 will close, with the Healing of María José Llergo. A show in which flamenco and electronic music feed each other, ratifying ---once again--- the absence of creative borders.