The 32nd edition of the festival kicks off this Friday with Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter
- The award winning vocalist -2 Grammy Awards- will stage three concerts this weekend (Tenerife, Lanzarote & Gran Canaria)
- Metropole Orkest & Kandace Springs, Salvador Sobral, Manu Katché, Jazzmeia Horn, Richard Bona, Nik West and Carmen Souza are some of the artists that form part of the programme
- Five European journalists from specialist magazines will be present at the Festival, which will be held from 30 June to 23 July
Islas Canarias, 27 de junio de 2023. The 32nd edition of the Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz & Más once again occupies the squares, theatres, halls and auditoriums in the Canary Islands, between 30 June and 23 July. Present yet again on the eight islands, the festival will feature the Metropole Orkest as the star attraction, a Dutch symphony ensemble with over 75 years of history and considered by music critics as the most important pop & rock orchestra in the world. This weekend will feature the first concerts, with special attention given to Kurt Elling together with Charlie Hunter, who will open the festival at the Tenerife Auditorium (Friday 30) and will go on to Jameos del Agua, Lanzarote (Saturday 1) and then the Pérez Galdós Theatre, Gran Canaria (Sunday 2). The complete programme was presented today, which includes more than 60 concerts & 35 artists from all around the world.
The event was attended by the Councillor for Tourism at the Cabildo (Island Council) of Gran Canaria, Carlos Álamo; the Councillor for Culture at the City Hall of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Adrián Santana; the Councillor for Culture at the San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town hall, Elena Álamo; the Councillor for Culture at the Santa Brígida Town hall, Avelina Fernández; the Managing Director of the Auditorium & Theatre Foundation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tilman Kuttenkeuler; and the director of the festival, Miguel Ramírez. Before it started there was time to listen to a piece performed by the duo Alba Serrano & Cristóbal Montesdeoca, local artists who form part of the programme.
Portuguese Salvador Sobral, winner of the Eurovision Festival in 2017; the drummer Manu Katché, regular member of Peter Gabriel’s band; one of the great voices of the moment, Jazzmeia Horn; Richard Bona & Alfredo Rodríguez feat. Michael Olivera, the American Nik West, Carmen Souza, Caramelo de Cuba, Shinkarenko Jazz 5N, Rey & Syl Dorrey _ Lin Lyles – Sylwester Ostrowski, Both Sides of Joni Mitchell feat. Monika Herzig and Alexis Cole, Second Brain, Mo Van Der Does – Motet, Kutu, Lucas Santana with Sven Rozier Quintet, Daniel García Trío, Lehmanns Brothers, Daïda, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado, Ayom, Javier Infante & José Alberto Medina Dúo, Puertas al Sur 5Tet, Pere Bujosa Trio, Furte, LuisMo Valladares Quartet, Yul Ballesteros Trío, Paco Perera, José Vera Bello Quinteto, Althay Páez, Alba Serrano & Cristóbal Montesdeoca Dúo, Stablemates y Vanessa Hechavarría Quartet all feature on the billing of the festival, which also recovers Noche de África (Africa Night), with performances by Ara Queen of Drums and Ruth Mahogany and The ARB Music Band.
The Councillor for Tourism at the Cabildo (Island Council) of Gran Canaria, Carlos Álamo, pointed out the track record of “a festival long enjoyed by many Canarians & tourists alike” as well as the “huge interest for the Tourism of Gran Canaria, for our visitors and the tourist sector of the Island, as it not only raises the level of our cultural leisure-time offer intended for our clients, but is also done featuring a billing of great artists and with notable distinction at prominent tourist venues of the island”.
Álamo also highlighted the relationship established between “Tourism of Gran Canaria and the Festival which has been going on for years”, and as the main novelty in this edition announced that “this year we bear the cost of bringing five international journalists who will carry the name of Gran Canaria and the ‘Festival Canarias Jazz & Más’ across half of Europe, through headlines specialized in Jazz in countries like France, the Netherlands, Germany & the UK”. It is a collaboration “that the Tourism of Gran Canaria takes on, with a programme of visits to key points of the island”.
The Managing Director of the Auditorium & Theatre Foundation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tilman Kuttenkeuler, assessed the quality of the artists who will take the stage at the Pérez Galdós Theatre and Rincón del Jazz (Jazz Corner), “four concerts featuring jazz figures such as Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter, Portuguese Salvador Sobral, the American vocalist Jazzmeia Horn and the drummer Manu Katché” and for which the Foundation has launched a special voucher “to be able to enjoy the four concerts for only 70 euros”.
The Councillor for Culture at the City Hall of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Adrían Santana, asserted the capital of Gran Canaria as a city “which offers multiple possibilities for this type of cultural event, with top quality venues, like theatres & auditoriums, and other open-air ones, emblematic such as Santa Ana Square, where we are going to enjoy three nights of concerts”.
The Councillor for Culture at the San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town hall, Elena Álamo, pledged to continue “with the support of her municipality for a festival that fulfils great cultural work and furthermore becomes an important attraction for our people, but also for those who visit, a perfect complement to our tourist offer that also stages its performanes in one of the most emblematic places on our coastline, the lighthouse – Faro de Maspalomas”.
The Councillor for Culture at the Santa Brígida Town hall, Avelina Fernández, valued his municipality’s commitment to the festival, “with which it has always maintained a close relationship, from its beginnings, which has consolidated over the past eight years”. He also highlighted the venue where the concerts are held, “a place with charm, cosy and a meeting point for the inhabitants of the municipality, where mulitple activities are held and that has also become an ideal venue for the festival”.
To close the procedure the director of the festival, Miguel Ramírez, as well as expressing his thanks for the support & presence to those “who make it possible for this to continue 32 years later”, recalled that the municipalities represented here in the act were “those that hosted the first edition of the festival”. Ramírez then recalled that this year “we return to being present on the eight islands, featuring 35 groups, more than 60 concerts at 25 different venues, which involves moving more than 200 musicians throughout the Canary Islands”.
From a musical standpoint, in addition to recalling those that appear as top of the billing, “are all top-notch artists and with many awards to their name, such as the Metropole Orkest, Kurt Elling & Salvador Sobral, but we also have a wide representation of European jazz, which has a very special presence this year. We follow very closely everything that happens, participating at meetings, markets & fairs, opting for new musical languages”, but always first putting ”quality & staging above everything else”.
METROPOLE ORKEST
When you think of an orchestra, you think classical music. This is not the case with the Metropole Orkest (MO). Playing jazz, pop, world music and film scores, the Metropole has shared the stage with such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Pat Metheny, Brian Eno, Herbie Hancock, The Basement Jaxx & Bono. The formation equally invests in playing with the next generation of stars, like Caro Emerald, Kovacs, Robert Glasper, Woodkid, Snarky Puppy, Cory Henry, Louis Cole, Jacob Collier & Gregory Porter, some of whom have recently featured at the festival. But it has also played with other formations more distant from the jazz genre, like the hard rock trio from the Netherlands, Dewolff.
Under the helm of leading conductors Jules Buckley, Vince Mendoza and Miho Hazama, Metropole Orkest seeks to challenge boundaries of current symphonic pop and jazz. Hence, the MO is a regular guest at The Netherlands’ main venues such as the Amsterdam Paradiso or The Concertgebouw. And has played at both the Barbican and Royal Albert Hall in London. The Orkest also performs at many festivals including North Sea Jazz, BBC Proms, Holland Festival and Musikfest Bremen. Over the years, Metropole Orkest has received no less than 20 Grammy nominations and worked on 4 Grammy-winning productions. Most recently for ‘Best Contemporary Instrumental Album’ in 2016 with Snarky Puppy, and in 2020 for the recording of Jacob Collier’s ‘All Night Long’ (Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals).
Metropole Orkest has produced more than 150 albums and thousands of radio and television broadcasts, requiring over 600 arrangements per year in every imaginable style. Despite this musical versatility, people all over the world can recognise the inimitable sound, style and identity of the MO. As the world’s leading pop & jazz orchestra, it is always looking to experiment and to be part of spectacular performances. The Metropole Orkest moves audiences; that is, after all, the real purpose of music.
History
It’s 1945 and the Dutch Government and Royal Family make an important decision from their exile in London. They decide that the Netherlands needs an orchestra to bring pleasure and hope to the Dutch people. Musicians are gathered from around Europe to create a modern orchestra with a fresh new sound. This is the start of the Metropole Orkest. Over the next few decades, the MO, funded by the Dutch Broadcasting Corporation, developed a reputation as a full symphony orchestra with an integrated big band. In recent times, the Metropole Orkest has taken more responsibility for its own funding and moves forward as a dynamic and independent organisation.
The MO, a formation of 50 musicians, will also feature Kandace Springs, an American jazz & soul singer and pianist who was born in Nashville into a family closely linked to music. Her father Scat Springs, was a session singer in Nashville. At the age of ten she began receiving piano lessons and grew up listening to jazz & soul singers like Nina Simone.
She has four studio albums released to date. In 2024, she released her debut EP on the Blue Note Records jazz label. Her album in 2016, Soul Eyes, featured the collaboration of trumpeter Terence Blanchard, guitarists Dean Parks & Jesse Harris and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. Her album in 2018 Indigo was produced by Karriem Riggins. It combines the tradition of vocal jazz with modern R&B influences.
On 31 January 2020, Springs released her main single, Pearls, from her third studio album The Women Who Raised Me. The album went on sale in March 2020, a version album with renditions of songs that made some of the most iconic vocalists popular: Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, Astrud Gilberto, Lauryn Hill, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, Carmen McRae, Bonnie Raitt, Sade, Nina Simone & Dusty Springfield.
Renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, twice Grammy winner Kurt Elling has secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. He was delared “the standout male vocalist of our time” by The New York Times. Over the period of twentyfive years of tours & recordings, Elling has garnered unprecedented accolades, including three ‘Prix du Jazz Vocal’ (France), two ‘Echo’ awards (Germany), two ‘Edison’ Dutch prizes and fifteen Grammy nominations. He has a fourteen-year run atop the DownBeat Critics Poll, and twelve Jazz Journalists Association awards for “Male Singer of the Year.” At this concert he shares billing with guitarist Charlie Hunter, a musician who, age-based, has had two very marked influences on his work. His academic references are based on Joe Pass; he gets his current vision from Tuck Andress, Californian guitarist who made up the duet with singer Patti Cathcart.
Salvador Sobral (Lisbon 1989), surprised the world in 2017 winning the Eurovisión Festival for Portugal with the highest number of points awarded to a contesting artist, a record to date. And featuring a song without any dressing, such as dance, lights or screens. Amar pelos dois, composed by his sister Luisa, won the prestigious prize, while he was in poor health, on the waiting-list for a heart transplant, which took place months later. Now, Salvador Sobral comes for the first time to the Canary Islands to present his latest albums, and a preliminary taste of his new disc titled Timbre, due to be released at the end of September this year and of which we already have a preview, Al llegar, a duet sung with Jorge Drexler.
Both as a live and studio musician, Manu Katché is one of the greatest drummers of our time. Possessed of a unique playing style, it’s because of his distinct mixture of elegance and power that, time and again, musicians and producers have sought his services. As Peter Gabriel’s drummer of choice Katché was hugely influential on his biggest hit Sledgehammer and, more recently, as the focal point of Gabriel’s live band on his “Back to front” world tour. Katché’s long-running collaboration with Sting is also a key aspect of his career, and once again his distinctive style featured in Sting’s big success, Englishman in New York.
Jazzmeia Horn (Dallas, Texas, 19/04/1991) winner of the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition and the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, has a name that speaks for itself, capturing her very essence. Her reputation as a rising star didn’t take long in reaching New York. Eager to pursue a solo career, she moved to the Big Apple and earned her degree at the New School for Jazz and contemporary Music. It wasn’t much later when she began to perform as a sideman with musicians Winard Harper, Junior Mance, Billy Harper, Lincoln Center Alumni Vincent Gardner, Delfeayo Marsalis, Mike LeDonne, Peter Bernstein, Johnny O’Neal, Vincent Herring, Kirk Lightsey, Frank Wess & Ellis Marsalis.
Richard Bona, Grammy winner, is one of the most accomplished international bass players, composers, and multi-instrumentalists. He will feature with the Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and drummer Michael Olivera. With his unique sound and vocal gift, he is continuously representing his African origins. Bona’s music addresses the continent’s traditions, culture, beauty, and issues. His purpose and the way he connects with his audience have turned him into a staple name in world, jazz, and Afropop music.
Explosive stage presence isn’t enough to describe the way Nik West moves, wows, and shocks crowds everywhere. With collaborations that include working with artists such as Dave Stewart, Eurythmics, Prince, John Mayer, Glee and many others, the bassist, singer & composer is more than just another pretty face.
The ‘Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz & Más’ will again have the support of the Canarian Government through the deputy minister of Culture & Heritage as main sponsor; the Island Councils of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife & Gran Canaria; the Gran Canaria Tourist Board; the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria & Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Halls, the Santa Brígida, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, La Laguna, Puerto de la Cruz, Adeje, Los Llanos de Aridane, Alajeró, Arrecife & Teguise Town Halls; and stage venues, such as the Tenerife Auditorium, Theatre Leal, Auditorium-Theatre Foundation, Theatre Guiniguada, Theatre Cuyás, MUNA in Tenerife, the Elder Museum of Science & Technology, the ‘Paraninfo’ at the ULPGC, the Santo Domingo Convent in La Laguna, Art, Culture & Tourism Centres of Lanzarote (CACT) and Fábrica La Isleta.
