Barcelona will be celebrating International Jazz Day with a day of free concerts on Passeig de Gràcia

Barcelona will be celebrating International Jazz Day with a day of free concerts on Passeig de Gràcia

Sustainable tourism. The stage will be located at the junction between Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer Casp and the event,on Sunday 30 April, will feature 10 hours of live performances. This free concert is one of the events being held to commemorate 200 years of Passeig de Gràcia.

The stage will be located at the junction between Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer Casp and the event,on Sunday 30 April, will feature 10 hours of live performances. This free concert is one of the events being held to commemorate 200 years of Passeig de Gràcia and is promoted by Barcelona City Council.

The six groups and artists who will be performing are: the Sant Andreu Dixie Band, Joan Mar Sauqué, Las de Barcelona, Michael League and Bill Laurance, Hamilton de Holanda and Nduduzo Makhathini and the Balkan Paradise Orchestra.

The event, organised by the Fundació Barcelona Promoció, is being promoted by Barcelona City Council’s Councillor’s Office for Tourism and Creative Industries and forms part of the programme of activities to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Passeig de Gràcia, a commemoration which has been declared an Event of Exceptional Public Interest (EEIP).

International Jazz Day in Barcelona, taking place on Sunday 30 April, aims to celebrate the universality of jazz with around 10 hours of live music and six groups that represent jazz in all its diversity, with artists from the vibrant Barcelona scene (including an opening concert dedicated to children), along with artists from South Africa, Brazil, the United States and United Kingdom.

Kicking off the event will be the Sant Andreu Dixie Band, an off-shoot of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band who reinterpret the origins of jazz, from New Orleans to swing.

Following this is a performance from Joan Mar Sauqué, a trumpet player with one of the most delicate sounds on the European scene, who for the first time will be presenting his second album as part of a trio. Las de Barcelona, a cooperative group formed of Magalí Datzira, Eva Fernández, Lucía Fumero and Juan Rodríguez Berbín, will be offering their own take on jazz and similar music styles, particularly from Latin America. 

Michael League, founder and leader of Snarky Puppy, and Bill Laurance (also a member of Snarky Puppy) will be presenting their exquisite album as a duo, Where You Wish You Were, hatched in Catalonia, which includes pieces with titles such as La Marinada and Sant Esteve.

Another impressive duo is made up of Brazilian bandolinist Hamilton de Holanda and South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, who will be presenting their project Routes of Discovery, which explores the African music diaspora in Brazil from the days of slavery to the present day.

Lastly, the International Jazz Day festival will feature one final vibrant performance from Balkan Paradise Orchestra whose high spirits and great energy will see out this celebration of jazz for all audiences right in the heart of Barcelona.

An exciting programme of concerts open to all members of the public, which on 30 April 2023 will transform Passeig de Gràcia into a boulevard of Jazz.