STRONG WINDS BLOW IN ACROSS TERRASSA: Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Michel Portal, Ludovic Beier, Antonio Serrano, Luigi Grasso, Perico Sambeat, Joe Magnareli, Dani Nel·lo and the 15th Jazzterrasman Pau Casares will play at the Terrassa Jazz Festival 2017

From March 15 to April 2, the jazz festival will see its thirty-sixth edition take place with concerts that once again will act as a barometer for the current state of jazz. There will be a good selection of activities going on at the same time aimed at getting more people involved

The city is getting ready to welcome the Festival once again. This year it will turn 36. From March 15 to April 2, syncopated rhythms will be heard on multiple stages, bringing us a good selection of music both local and from elsewhere, but all very prestigious. A showcase of the current state of the jazz world with never-before-seen projects, some exclusives, and up to eight presentations of new albums, reflecting the latest trends in contemporary jazz. The Nova Jazz Cava for club concerts and the auditorium at the Cultural Centre will open their doors to European and American jazz. Daytime sessions will take place in squares and parks, shining the limelight on a very special artistic line-up. Patios, terraces, bars and restaurants will be participating in the “Menjazz” route, as well as exhibitions, roundtables, educational sessions, cinema, photography competitions and swing dance. There will be much more on offer during the Festival in Terrassa, Ullastrell and Viladecavalls.

For yet another year, one of the most famous jazz festivals in Catalonia offers a programme based on distinctive pillars: supporting the Catalan jazz scene, investing in and finding new musical talent and safeguarding the genre’s legacy for the future of jazz. The wind family of instruments- trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, bandoneons, harmonicas and accordions will take centre stage in 2017, with maestros from both sides of the Atlantic.

From the USA, we are pleased to announce the participation of one of the indisputable maestros of the tenor saxophone. Joe Lovano is living history when it comes to contemporary jazz. He is considered one of the most innovative, dynamic and versatile instrumentalists, he has pushed the traditional limits of jazz by going down new experimental paths. Another current icon of jazz, Tom Harrell, returns to Terrassa with Trip: a personal journey that this melodic genius and honourable architect of sound and harmony has easily woven with catchy rhythms over four decades and more than 250 recordings. His music is intelligent, emotive, fresh and accessible with a solid warm sound on the trumpet and flugelhorn.

From the European scene, Michel Portal is set to be memorable. The wind multi-instrumentalist from France holds a very privileged position, breaking formulas and clichés. A very unique artist with an extraordinary personality returns to the Festival, along with a legend on the drums, the Swiss musician Daniel Humair and with one of the best bassists around right now, Bruno Chevillon, the rhythmic support for a trio that always has creative musical conversations, deeply rich in ideas and with a manifest pleasure in performing jazz that mixes virtuousness, elegance and suggestive humour. Also from France, Gypsy Swing Summit, an “All Stars” group with six Manouche acts, including the debut in Terrassa of the accordionist Ludovic Beier at the side of real magicians of the strings - violin (Costel Nitescu), guitar (Sébastien Giniaux, Philippe “Doudou” Cuilleries and Biel Ballester) and double bass (Antonio Licusati).

A double concert for a tribute night will begin with Madrid harmonist Antonio Serrano who will pay tribute to his idol, the great Belgian musician Toots Thielemans (1922-2016), in a never-before-seen exclusive production for Jazz Terrassa. After this, we will discover the promising Italian saxophonist Luigi Grasso, with the trio of our most internationally known pianist Ignasi Terraza and his personal take on bebop figures.

Also exclusively at Jazz Terrassa is the Jazzterrasman 2017 honour, which this year will go to a distinguished Catalan wind multi-instrumentalist. Pau Casares will be the recipient of the Festival’s award on its 15^th edition in recognition of his career, popularizing efforts and ties with the Terrassa Jazz Club. He will put on a concert with some of his travelling companions, some of whom are distinguished wind soloists from our own scene.

This star-studded line-up of wind instrumentalists will get reinforcements on Sunday, March 26 at Jazz Vallparadís Picnic with performances by saxophonists Dani Nel·lo and Perico Sambeat, the latter with the New York trumpeter Joe Magnarelli. It will also be joined by instrumentalists such as Josep M. Farràs, Raynald Colom, Toni Solà, Xavier Figuerola, Gabriel Amargant, Guim G. Balasch, Haizea Martiartu, Dani Alonso and Lluc Casares.

The Cuarteto Europa project by Galician double bassist Baldo Martínez takes an exploratory path. A musical exercise charged with personality, quality and the experience of four members, where further steps are taken from different stylistic and geographical areas. Improvisation is the driving force linking jazz and free, improvised music. Univers Ornette by the Esmuc Jazz Project has a contemporary feel to it, fusing several 20^th century music genres: jazz, rock, contemporary chamber and orchestral music, and world music, through the music of Ornette Coleman, a key figure of the avant-garde and free jazz scenes. The concert at the Festival will be part of the celebration of the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya’s 15th anniversary.

New York pianist Benny Green will show the art of the piano trio at the Festival. He is considered a true disciple of the Art Blakey school and is a real star on the keyboard. The experienced sideman, of Oscar Peterson, Bobby Watson, Milt Jackson and Diana Krall, returns as a leader in his own right to Terrassa, a role that fits him perfectly. All the way from the Bronx, Popa Chubby has become a very popular figure. He presents The Catfish in his debut to the Blues Night. His expressive, creative range shows traces of hardcore, funk and hip-hop, ingredients from rock and a high proportion of blues. All this driven by the brilliant idea of tracing a path through black music with a far-reaching power trio.

More than 250 musicians are the backbone of the 36th Terrassa Jazz Festival, which the “grand dame” of Catalan jazz Laura Simó will open with Afterglow, a collection that includes jazz classics, as well as pieces by singer-songwriters celebrating a 30-year career as a singer.

Until April 2, there will be numerous live events and activities on the side with small format concerts, food and music tasting sessions, films, exhibitions, talks and lindy hop sessions, to name just a few. The Festival has not forgotten its pedagogical facet either. Once again there will be educational sessions aimed at getting the children and the next generation of musicians involved, such as the usual JazzJove Non Stop session and master classes. This all forms part of a programme with around eighty activities showing off a real culture of jazz that is part of the heritage of Terrassa.

Twelve caricatures will be the stars of a Jazz band for the 36th Festival’s poster

The artist Sr.Edi is the author of the official poster for the 2017 Terrassa Jazz Festival. The illustration pays tribute to more than 800 musicians that this artist, a longtime member of the Friends of the Arts and Musical Youth, the organising body for the Festival through the Jazz Terrassa collective, has drawn throughout his life. “Thanks to the concerts at the Jazz Cava I have met with and drawn about 800 musicians”, he says.

In the selection for the poster by the Matadepedera artist, there are a dozen musicians, each with different jazz band instruments. The 12 caricatures are famous musicians who have formed part of the history of jazz: Charles Mingus (double bass), St. Louis Jimmy (harmonica), Chet Baker (trumpet), Kid Ory (trombone), Mahalia Jackson (singer), Paul Desmond (saxophone), Tete Montoliu (piano), John Coltrane (saxophone), Wes Montgomery (guitar), Dave Brubeck (piano), George Lewis (clarinet) and Art Blakey (drums).

Eduard Torres Crusat Sr. Edi has always had a passion for music and especially for jazz. “You could say that I was born listening to jazz music, as my dad was a fan of Louis Armstrong”. And Edi, who was only 11 years old, had the opportunity to listen to Sachtmo live in Barcelona. “That concert left a mark on me and has been a big influence throughout my life”, he recalls.

The Festival is dedicated to the memory of Joan Alsius “Pelut”, Joan Vancells “Billy”, Lluís Subiran and Jaume Canyameres.