Bill Frisell, Ivan Lins, Cory Henry & Jacob Collier – stars of the 26th Festival Canarias Jazz&Más Heineken
- This year, the concerts, more than 40, will take place between Friday 7 and Sunday 23 July, visiting five islands
- Cécile McLorin with Woman to Woman, Alfredo Rodríguez Trio, Bill Evans & Dean Brown, María Joao, Palo!, Becca Stevens, Charenée Wade and King Solomon Hicks complete the billing of international artists
The concerts programmed for the 26th edition of the Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz&Más Heineken kick off on 7 July and will feature three intense weeks in which fans and lovers of music can enjoy performances staged by outstanding artists; among whom are some up-and-coming stars of this genre, such as Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, Jacob Collier, the Alfredo Rodríguez Trio, Becca Stevens and Charenée Wade; and other established ones, like Bill Evans & Dean Brown, Bill Frisell and Ivan Lins. The extensive billing also includes performances by King Solomon Hicks, Palo!, María Joao, Becca Stevens, as well as the group Woman to Woman, led by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant and musicians Renee Rosnes (piano & artistic direction), Anat Cohen (clarinet), Melissa Aldana (sax), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Noriko Ueda (double bass) & Allisson Miller (drums). Also in the programme are artists of a national standing, like Ximo Tebar; and a good number of local artists who will present their respective latest works, such as Polo Ortí, Paco Perera, BlueInGreen, Xerach Peñate, Banadú, Ella Tribute, Gran Canaria Big Band ……
Following its silver anniversary which featured an edition that exceeded all expectations with regard to quality & success, the Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz&Más Heineken now returns with more than forty concerts distributed among five islands, covering the municipalities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Adeje, Puerto de la Cruz, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Santa Brígida, Puerto del Rosario, Arrecife and Los Llanos de Aridane. A discerning programme which once more includes the participation of international, national and local artists, with a special night dedicated to Africa, featuring performances by two groups from Angola, Elenco Da Paz & Toto ST.
Woman to Woman / Cécile McLorin Salvant
Among the artists who participate in this year’s festival, there is the noteworthy presence of Cécile McLorin Salvant, one of the best vocalists of today, who leads a group composed exclusively of females, called Woman to Woman. Born & raised in Miami, she began her relationship with music at an early age, until during her stint at university she came across Edward Walker, vocal teacher at the University of Miami.
Cécile comes to the Canaries accompanied by an excellent group of artists stemming from the USA, Canada, France, Chile, Israel & Japan; an ensemble of international stars formed by seven of the best musicians on the jazz scene today. The band Woman to Woman stages at each & every concert an eclectic repertoire with a lot of complicity, delicacy & energy. A potent wind section with Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, clarinetist Anat Cohen and Melissa Aldana on tenor sax; and the rhythm section composed of pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Noriko Ueda and finally the well known drummer, Allisson Miller.
Jacob Collier
Jacob Collier is one of the most prodigious young (twentytwo years old) musicians in the world. His music has been inspired by and fuses a number of influential elements – jazz, groove, folk, trip-hop, classical music, Brazilean, gospel, soul, a capella and improvisation – to create & form his very own musical style & sound. His youth also reflects his use of multiple social media platforms as the main means of broadcasting his works. His first video uploaded on YouTube in December 2011 has more than 9 million visits and his channel has a following of more than 200,000.
Collier has been gaining recognition with the public and other colleagues in the industry, among whom are Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Steve Vai and Take 6, to name but a few. In addition, he works simultaneously on arrangements for orchestras as well as bands from all over the world, offering master classes at various music schools & universities and collaborates with many different musicians, such as Snarky Puppy’s. His first album, titled In My Room, reached number 1 on iTunes Jazz in 23 countries. He also made his debut on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Album Chart attaining number 1 and the same year won two Grammy awards.
Alfredo Rodríguez Trío
Another great attraction in this edition is Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez, who will present at his concerts in the Canaries his latest work, titled Tocororo. Rodríguez has performed at some of the most important jazz festivals in the world – Detroit, Monterey, Newport, San Francisco, Umbría, Montreux, Mawâzine, Mundo Latino, Shangai…, and has shared the stage with artists such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin, James Ingram, McCoy Tyner, Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona & Lionel Loukeke.
Tocororo, his new album (Mack Avenue Records), is also a means of telling his own story. The Tocororo is a bird – a national symbol of Cuba – and is a bird that dies of sadness if caged. With this metaphor, Rodríguez reflects not only the desire for liberty but the need to be free. “It’s the story of all that the bird represents: freedom, travel and the fusion of cultures” Cuban with all the others he has experienced throughout his musical journey. “What I wanted to do in this recording was to open myself up to the world, while honouring my roots at the same time”, he says.
Bill Evans & Dean Brown
Another jazz legend, the great saxophonist Bill Evans, will perform here in the Canary Islands together with brilliant guitarrist Dean Brown, in a band of four authentic ‘All Stars’ made up of Toto’s current drummer, Keith Carlock, and the great Etienne Mbappe, the current bassist with John Maclaughlin.
Member of Miles Davis’ band from 1980 to 1984, and at the young age of twentytwo, he was nominated for a Grammy award for the disc titled Soulgrass. Following his spell with Miles, he recorded three albums with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra and later played with Herbie Hancock, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Steps Ahead and Mick Jagger, among many others. More up to date, he released a disc with his band, titled Rise Above in the year 2016, which included the collaboration of Warren Haynes (Govt Mule), Gregg Allman, Mike Stern, Josh Dion and JJ Grey.
Guitarrist Dean Brown has performed with artists like the Brecker brothers, Marcus Miller, Billy Cobham, Bill Evans, George Duke, David Samborn, Bob James & Joe Zawinul. He substituted Mike Stern in the band Tiger’s Baku, and received the blessing of Eric Clapton himself. On his particular journey, he has released solo albums marked by the excellence of a blend of impeccable elegance and a sound drawing on references including jazz, blues, rock & funk.
Cory Henry
Cory Henry (born February 1987) is the keyboard player of Snarky Puppy, a group that has updated & refreshed instrumental soul music like nobody today, and whose performances were experienced by the Canarian public during their earlier participation at the Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz&Más Heineken. A musician who is astonishing the world with his ability to revitalize instrumental R&B, an organist capable of delighting all kinds of audiences with his Hammond. He is also a prestigious producer who has worked with some outstanding artists of today, such as Bruce Springsteen, The Roots, Robert Glasper, Kenny Garrett & Erykah Badu. He is a regular contender at the Grammy Awards and has won on three occasions and received two nominations.
Bill Frisell
He is one of the most recognised & respected jazz guitarrists around. He has composed an eclectic work integrated with progressive folk, classical music, country, noise …. He is known for his use of multiple effects to produce uniquely singular sounds from his instrument. With over thirty discs released,he has participated at the best music festivals in the world and collaborated with some great stars in the realm of popular music. Last year, 2016, he released his latest album, titled When you wish upon a Star, which features a combination of songs from the world of cinema, including film titles & tracks, like To Kill a Mockingbird, Pinocchio, Psycho, The Godfather, Beauty & the Beast, Moon River ….. and some other tracks like the theme melody from the mythical TV series Bonanza.
Ivan Lins
One of the greatest Brazilean musicians around today, he developed and extended his musical career influenced by the genres with which he grew up, namely, jazz and its links with bossa nova & soul. A well-known pianist and great composer, he has written songs that have been adapted by other great contemporary musicians. Themes like O amor é o meu país and Madalena, recorded by Elis Regina, were some of his early successes.
His best known composition internationally is Love Dance (Lembrança), which has been performed by Sarah Vaughan, George Benson, Diane Schuur, Nancy Wilson & Kenny Burrell.
Organised for the past twentysix years by Colorado Producciones, this edition of the Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz&Más Heineken is sponsored by the company Heineken; the Canarian Government; the Cabildos (Island Councils) of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote & Fuerteventura; the Town Halls of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Arrecife, Puerto del Rosario, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Adeje, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Lucia de Tirajana, Santa Brigida & Los Llanos de Aridane; Casa África; the Adán Martín Auditorium in Tenerife; the Auditorium & Theatre Foundation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Leal, Guimerá & Guiniguada Theatres.
