With its sights set on its 60th anniversary ever closer, the Barcelona Jazz Festival, founded in 1966, presents another edition with headline names, such as Pat Metheny, Maria Schneider, John Scofield and Crosscurrents Trio, on a bill which, like every year, opens the door to new trends with a foot in the jazz base of the city in the form of master classes and concerts at the Conservatory of the Liceu. An offer that is completed in this first list of artists with the trombonist Rita Payés, protagonist of the artist portrait of the festival, which has CaixaBank as a new strategic partner.

“When we celebrated 40 years, we defined the pillars of what we believed the Barcelona festival should be”, commented Tito Ramoneda, president of the promoter The Project, at the presentation, who looked back.

Although the festival will officially begin on October 6 with the multi-instrumentalist and composer from Los Angeles Kamasi Washington, who will present the album Fearless movement, the first concert included in the festival will correspond to the Icelandic Laufey (pronounced Lovi), who with his 25 years is considered one of the renewing voices of jazz.

The second advanced date will be starred by Michel Camilo

From the first wave of performances that was announced yesterday, and which represents 60% of the total, classic names stand out, such as guitarists Pat Mehteny, who presents the album MoonDial, and John Scofield, a collaborator of Miles Davis, who will perform solo in the Paral·lel 62 room to navigate through jazz, rock and country. In the same space, saxophonist Chris Potter can be heard with Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland, with the Crosscurrents Trio project.

Judit Neddermann will celebrate at Apolo the end of the tour of her fifth work, Lar, and Andrea Motis will present her new project, Temblor, accompanied by several special guests, such as Michael League, founder of Snarky Puppy, the Chilean singer Pascuala Ilabaca and cellist Jacques Morelenbaum. And, of course, the Sant Andreu Jazz Band will not be missing from the date with the festival, which will offer a tribute recital to Frank Sinatra at the Palau with the songs that made the Voz famous.

Within the De Cajón cycle, singers Miguel Poveda stand out, who will present at the Palau de la Música Poema del cante jondo, dedicated to Federico García Lorca, as well as Israel Fernández, without forgetting the tribute to Paco de Lucía de Chano Domínguez or the performance by Chicuelo and Marco Mezquida at L’Auditori, with a new album under his arm.

The artist portrait in this edition of the Barcelona Jazz Festival corresponds to Rita Payés, protagonist of five concerts, of which two have been announced so far: the collaboration with the composer Maria Schneider at the head of the Clasijazz Big Band, of which Payés is a part, and the performance with Camerata Penedès, a string group with which he will perform El amor brujo, by Manuel de Falla.

The musical proposal includes, as every year, the masterclasses that will accompany the concerts at the Liceu Conservatory, where you can hear Fred Hersch, Anat Cohen, Joe Lovano, Nduduzo Makhathini and Cucurucho Valdés, Bebo’s grandson, who will perform with Javier Colina. In addition, these classes will be taught by Maria Schneider, Paquito D’Rivera and Pepe Rivero, who will perform on November 6 and 27, respectively, in the Paral·lel 62 room.

Sofiane Pamart, Cimafunk and Tony Ann offer the most ground-breaking proposals for a Jazz Festival that offers subscriptions and discounts to facilitate access for all kinds of audiences to the concerts.