The last five years have served to consolidate Barcelona as a first-division academic place in modern music. Up to three higher schools, the Conservatori del Liceu, the Taller de Músics and the Esmuc, train high-level musicians every year who contribute cultural wealth to the city.
Yeah? Sure? The latter, whether they sufficiently nourish the Barcelona scene, would be the most debatable. In fact, a recurring criticism among the musical environment of the Catalan capital is that yes, great talents leave the schools every day, but later, when they have to look for spaces to play, the offer plummets and/or is precarious. That means that many have to find a life outside the physical borders, or even outside the borders of this art that they love so much.
However, initiatives always appear that try to alleviate this structural situation. This is the case of the Talents Jazz cycle, promoted by the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera together with the three aforementioned centers, which wants to be, according to its own description, “a speaker and a space where young talents can show their creativity in an exceptional setting.” as is the roof of the Pedrera-Casa Milà”.
The festival, which started this Thursday and will last until July 26, includes a total of 22 concerts in which up to 120 musicians will participate. There is a little bit of everything: from projects conceived for their exclusive premiere among the Gaudinian chimneys and towers to emerging groups or soloists who are beginning to make a name for themselves. There are also some prominent names at the local level but with international projection that serve to demonstrate that the training of talent obtains positive results.
The role of schools is key in the cycle. They are the ones who choose their corresponding part of the programming, so the quality of the selection seems more than guaranteed. The concerts that stand out are a dialogue between an already established musician and young people. This is the case, for example, of the Liceu Vibes Grup, a trio formed by three of the best students of the Liceu Conservatory who will accompany the vibraphonist Marc Miralta, or the Taller de Músics Flamenco Lab, a project resulting from an artistic residency with jazz students and flamenco, and directed by double bassist Manel Fortià. There are also many new groups that try to give a more current dimension to jazz, with fusions with rock, hip-hop, electronic, experimental or world music. New Rebels, Doideca, New Dimension Collective, Gruvarna and KIW follow this line and represent the freshest offering of the festival.
In short, proposals for restless music lovers who like to discover emerging talent, always in need of love and support in this city.