Plaça Reial in Barcelona is ready to host representatives from the entire jazz sector at Jazz I Am, the Barcelona meeting created by the Taller de Musics with the aim of consolidating Barcelona as one of the capitals of jazz. The contest, which this year reaches its fifth edition, combines holding conferences and round tables with performances by new talents, who will seek a place on the jazz circuit with the holding of showcases before fifty programmers from different countries. The meeting will be held this Thursday and Friday in the Ocaña room and in the Jamboree club. The more than 200 attendees of the previous edition speak clearly of its success, from which names such as the trumpeter Alba Careta or the pianist Lucía Fumero came out.
As a novelty for this fifth edition, Jazz I Am is committed to the Focus section to promote exchanges with another country, this time the Netherlands, with which there are currently notable synergies between the universities and clubs of both territories. This proposal materializes, among other actions, in a large attendance of programmers from the Oranje country, as well as in the presence within the showcases of three artists from the Dutch scene, Guy Salamon Group, Sanem Kalfa
The dozen participants who complete the showcases have been selected by a jury made up of six women from the world of jazz in an open election. These concerts, which last half an hour, are intended to introduce the groups to the programmers of international festivals and clubs, who represent “the majority of the public”, as Rosa Galbany points out. Among those attending this edition are names like Frank van Berkel, from the Bimhuis club in Amsterdam, or Michael Stückl, from the Unterfahrt in Munich. “There are 50 international programmers invited, and many people are also accrediting themselves”, proof that the meeting is beginning to be on the map.
With the same intention of promoting the creation of synergies, MeetThePro works, a quick round of presentations by artistic directors, programmers, managers and artists to expose their projects and the preferred working method in order to meet more easily. “Selling your project by writing an email to someone you don’t know is very difficult, you have to be very lucky”. Personal knowledge is a necessary value for projects to progress.
Among the artists that will perform on the Jamboree stages are names like Antonio Lizana, who was already present at Jazzahead in Bremen, the most important meeting in the sector. Also the Senegalese Momi Maiga, who recently performed at the Black Music Festival in Girona. Other participants are the Aurora, one of the two representatives of the Taller de Musics in this edition, who present the album La balsa de la medusa. It also presents a new work by the Galician trio Sumrrá, Sumrrá 7 visions, such as Jofre Fité and his JF Trio, who do the same with Transit, with which they won the Fara Music Jazz Live award in 2021. In addition, Javier Navas can be heard Quintet, Martin Meléndez Power Trio, Alba Gil, the Libérica project of double bassist Manel Fortià, and the amazing Reptilian Mambo by Andrés Rojas.
The other leg of the festival is made up of the conferences and round tables that will take place in Ocaña, where renowned voices from the jazz scene will discuss topics such as the artist’s statute, rights and their collective management in the digital environment, opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence or the creative process in international co-productions.
In addition to the announced performances, it will be possible to taste the project 88-M by Miranda Fernández, one of the new talents of the Taller de Musics, during the Jazz I Am presentation, on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. The piece is a tribute to flamenco women who had to face discrimination and social coercion. A flamenco show in which Miranda Fernández will be accompanied by Cristina López on vocals and electronics, while Lucas Balbo will be in charge of percussion.
