Several Grammy Award winners will perform at a Zaragoza Jazz Festival that sounds feminine

This Thursday morning at the Zaragoza Auditorium , the director of the Jazz Festival, Jaime Borobia, recalled the words of Carlos Santana in which he said that “rock is a swimming pool and jazz is an ocean.” And this cultural event has been exploring that immensity for 41 years, and every year it turns the Auditorium (recently Princesa Leonor) into the stage for some of the best voices and artists on the international scene. It will do so again from November 10 to 23 in an edition that sounds feminine and that has as headliners three Grammy award winners: Christian McBride, Dee Dee Bridgewater and María Scheider & Clasijazz Big Band.

Other artists who will join this elite line-up include Lakecia Benjamin, Cimafunk and La Tribu, Antonio Serrano & Flamenco Messengers and Cyrus Chestnut Trío. All concerts cost between 32 and 45 euros, plus booking fees. There are also 4 or 7-concert passes available for prices starting at 105 euros.

PROGRAMMING

Eight-time Grammy Award winner Christian McBride will open the program on November 10. The bassist, producer, conductor and many other things will land at the Mozart in trio format with “Remembering Ray Brown Trio.”

This year’s “headliner”, in the words of Jaime Borobia, will be Dee Dee Bridgewater, who will be visiting the Sala Multiusos on November 14. “She is one of the most important jazz singers, a three-time Grammy Award winner, and will be coming to Zaragoza with ‘We exist’, an all-female formation that talks about women’s empowerment, a battle cry and a reflection that serves as a reminder of the impact of activism.”

The following day, on November 15, María Schneider & Clasijazz Big Band will take to the stage at the Sala Multiusos. María Schneider is one of the most prestigious composers for Big Band in the world and on this occasion she joins forces with the Clasijazz Big Band, formed by the best musicians on the national scene. Rita Payés, Enrique Oliver, Irene Reig, Daahoud Salim, guest accordionist Philippe Thuriot, among others, make up this formation of 18 musicians. María Schneider is one of the few artists who has won Grammys in several categories, both in jazz and classical music.

Cimafunk and La Tribu will perform on Saturday, November 16 at the Sala Multiusos with their band made up of nine Havana musicians. It will be an electrifying show, a celebration of groove and an unforgettable sound and body experience. Cimafunk is redefining contemporary Cuban music, as well as Afro-Latin identity and the fusion of black cultures.

The fusion between flamenco and jazz will arrive with Antonio Serrano Sextet & Flamenco Messengers (21 November at the Sala Multiusos). Serrano presents his vision of both genres and counts on the most outstanding musicians of the new generations, as Art Blakey did in his day for his Jazz Messengers, a band whose sound and energy inspired this project. The repertoire is based on flamenco songs taken to jazz and vice versa, always seeking coherence.

Another of the most fashionable and relevant women in the genre who will visit our city at the festival will be saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin Quartet. She will do so with “Phoenix” on November 22 at the Sala Multiusos. Lakecia is at the peak of her career and has an overwhelming creative force with exceptional talent and a deep passion for music; an earthquake in jazz has been considered Saxophonist of the Year according to Down Beat, as well as the New Artist of the Year award by the Jazz Journalist Association.

The festival will close with the Cyrus Chestnut Trio (November 23, Sala Multiusos), one of the most important musicians of his generation. A native of Baltimore, Cyrus Chestnut has a style deeply rooted in gospel sources and an exhaustive knowledge of the jazz piano tradition.

COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES

In addition to the concerts that will take place in the different spaces of the Zaragoza Auditorium, there are also some complementary activities scheduled. The popular “Jazz for Kids” for families will be held on November 9 and 10. These concerts are an introduction to the genre and are aimed at a family audience. They will be held in the Sala Luis Galve at a price of 10 euros per ticket.

Throughout the month of November and in different spaces around the city, the programme will be completed with the “Jazz Cinema” Cycle at the Filmoteca de Zaragoza, Jazz Comic at CaixaForum, Performances at Librerías Cálamo and La Casa Amarilla, as well as at the Las Armas space and Hotel Ilunion Romareda.

“The Zaragoza Jazz Festival aims to put the best representatives of international jazz on the map and also attract new audiences, younger people. It’s not just about entering the Mozart Hall and seeing only grey or white hair, but rather showing that jazz is an infinite genre in which very interesting things are being done,” said Jaime Borobia.

For her part, the Minister of Culture, Sara Fernández, has acknowledged that this 41st edition is the result of a festival that “is growing in quality, in quantity and also that for some years now it has also become multidisciplinary.”