The ‘Festival Canarias Jazz & Más’ will be celebrated between 31 July and 15 August

• The 29th edition will be held on the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera & El Hierro
•  It will feature more than twenty international, national & local musical ensembles
•  All the concerts will take place with maximum health safety measures guaranteed, at both closed and open-air venues

The Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz & Más will not fail in its commitment this year 2020. As a result of the situation caused by Covid-19, they have found it necessary to re-programme both artists and dates, as well as acquire suitable premises in which to celebrate its 29th edition according to the ‘new normality’  regulations, thus assuring health safety measures are complied with, both for the general public and the musicians who will participate between the dates – 31 July and 15 August. In this new edition, the festival ‘Canarias Jazz & Más’ will take place on six of the eight islands, namely Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera & El Hierro, and is being sponsored by the Canarian Government, which is doubling its financial contribution, as well as by various different entities, like the Island Councils, Town Halls, auditoriums & theatres.

Despite the pandemia disrupting initial plans for this 29th edition, the festival ‘Canarias Jazz & Más’ will feature the participation of more than twenty international, national & local groups, who will stage a total of 34 concerts at 16 different venues. Among the list of groups & artists that will form part of this new edition, is the leader of Snarky Puppy, Michael League & Friends; the Polish group Atom String Quartet; Belgian guitarrist Julien Tassin; Dutch soulman Steffen Morrison; the Latin Jazz combo The Cuban Jazz Syndicate; the trio from Galicia Sumrrá; the saxophonist from Cadiz Antonio Lizana; and other names who have been associated with the festival for years, such as Polo Ortí, performing with his new ensemble, OMN and the saxophone player from Tenerife Kike Perdomo. Next week the definitive programme of the festival will be publicized and the calendar will feature on the festival’s website and social media outlets.

In the end the festival managed to fulfil one of its objectives, to be present on the islands of El Hierro & La Gomera, where they had only been on one prior occasion. It is precisely on these two islands where the concerts on 31 July will be staged. Apart from this, the festival ‘Canarias Jazz & Más’ will return to the usual venues, such as Theatre Guiniguada, Tenerife Auditorium, Theatre Leal, the public square – Plaza de los Alisios (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Theatre Pérez Galdós, public square – Plaza Europa (Puerto de la Cruz), Los Llanos de Aridane (La Palma), Santa Brígida (Gran Canaria), Fuerteventura Auditorium, Alfredo Kraus Auditorium and the public square – Plaza de Santa Ana (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), to which the place of cultural interest ‘La Granja’ (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) will be added.

In closed venues, (theatres, auditoriums, halls) the festival will apply the health protocols which are already in force and functioning ever since the de-escalation process from the State of Emergency began. At the open-air venues, the organisers are working to ensure safety measures are in place, which would involve enclosing them in order to control audience capacity. Entrance will be free to these concerts, but prior registration will be necessary to limit attendance. The festival will apply all the recommendations & established rules or standards, in coordination with the health authorities, among which will be social distancing, compulsory use of face masks, the use of hydro-alcoholic gel,  the disinfection of communal areas, etc.