The popular American filmmaker Woody Allen inaugurated this Monday the 55th Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival at the Tivoli Theater. He did so accompanied by the New Orleans Jazz Band, to the rhythm of the clarinet and with about fifteen songs that were part of the chosen repertoire. "Sit back and relax, we will do our best to entertain you," he announced after playing the first two pieces: Corina Corina and I Can't Escape From You. It was the first of two concerts Allen will offer as part of his visit to the Catalan capital, where he also took the opportunity to present his new film Coup de Chance, which will hit theaters on September 29.
With practically an hour to go before the concert began, the doors of the Tívoli were already full of fans of the director of Manhattan, who ---with or without a ticket--- awaited his arrival at the theater. When Allen crossed the street, he did so to applause, in his second appearance as part of his visit to the Catalan capital, reports ACN.
If during the morning the work focused on the more cinematographic aspect, he dedicated the evening to one of his passions: jazz, inaugurating with his band the new edition of the Voll-Damm Jazz Festival with a double header at the Tívoli, Monday and Tuesday, and practically with all tickets sold out.
Woody Allen on the clarinet played an irregular concert accompanied by Conal Fowkes, piano and musical direction; Simon Wettenhall, trumpet and musical direction; Brian Nalepka, double bass; Kevin Dorn, drums; Jerry Zigmont, trombone; and Josh Dunn, banjo. Thus, for more than an hour, songs such as Baby Face, Snag it, Memphis Blues-Handy or Girls Go Crazy were played.
The filmmaker intervened only a couple of times, at the beginning, to give a small introduction and also at the end, to introduce the band and to thank for the "treatment" received in the city. "It has been a fantastic night," he concluded with part of the audience standing, giving him a strong ovation. In fact, during the recital, attendees repeatedly expressed their passion for Allen, and also for jazz, in an event that will be repeated this Tuesday in the same format.
The passion for jazz
The renowned film director has long been an amateur clarinetist and an erudite collector of classic jazz. In this sense, Allen has been playing for years with a band ---until his death in 2020, directed by Eddy Davis, and now by Conal Fowkes and Simon Wettenhall--- that offers him the pleasure of recalling real and fictional idols on stage. About to turn 88, this time he was in charge of inaugurating the 55th edition of this festival dedicated to his favorite musical genre.
With these two concerts, the Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival 2023 will be officially inaugurated. Until the end of December, the program will feature performances by Chucho Valdés, Joshua Redman, Sergio Mendes, Richard Bona with Liceo Big Band, Tigran Hamasyan, Clara Peya and Ron Carter, among others.
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