Master Class & concert by Berta Moreno at the Paraninfo (Assembly Hall) of the ULPGC
- The documentary film by Alain Gomis ‘Rewind & Play’ will also be shown, that retrieves a legendary concert by Thelonious Monk
- Free access to the three activities until audience capacity is reached and entrance reservations are made at tomaticket.es
The last week of the 31st edition of the ‘Festival Canarias Jazz & Más’ will kick off on Tuesday 19 at the Paraninfo (assembly hall) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which will host three activities. In chronological order, fans & followers of the festival will be able to enjoy a materclass given by the Madrid-born, New York-based saxophonist Berta Moreno at 17:30 hours, who an hour later will present her album Tumaini in a concert; the evening function will close with the projection of the film Rewind & Play (65 minutes), directed by Alain Gomis which salvages previously unseen footage of a performance by Thelonious Monk in a televised programme.
Berta Moreno (tenor sax) together with Deborah Ayo (vocals), David Sancho (piano & keyboard), Maksim Perepelica (bass) & Miguel Benito (drums) will present Tumaini, her latest work. An uplifting and joyous musical journey based on the bandleader’s life changing experience volunteering in the ‘Kawangware’ region (Kenya) several years ago. Through the ‘Little Ray of Hope School’, Moreno volunteered and worked with the local children, whose positive outlook and smiles deeply moved her.
On this heart-led new release, Moreno seamlessly intertwines elements of soul, jazz and traditional African styles. Moreno is accompanied by the multi-cultural outfit called ‘The Afro-Jazz Soul Project’, featuring a versatile rhythm section. Throughout the album Moreno plays a dynamic role, often switching between improvising over the forms, doubling written parts, playing harmony parts to other instrumentalists, and playing backgrounds, showcasing her ability to think of the saxophone in a broader function than just a soloist. Compositionally, the many themes and moods of the album complement each other while providing enough variety for the listener to find themselves in constant discovery.
Her first album Little Steps was received with critical acclaim by the American and European press. It was featured in Downbeat Magazine, won a Global Music Awards Gold Medal for ‘Best Jazz Album’ of 2018, and received a nomination for Best Jazz Album by ‘The 16th Independent Music Awards’ (USA), and the ‘MIN’ Music Awards (Spain).
REWIND & PLAY
This documentary film shows previously unseen footage of a French television programme in 1969 in which an invisible facade of the pianist & composer Thelonious Monk is depicted. Indifferent to the media machine in action, the artist seems only to care about the music. The film was awarded the ‘Bande á Part’ prize at this year’s edition of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival. It is directed by the French-Senegalese film director and screenwriter Alain Gomis, whose previous drama film, Felicité (2017), obtained the Best Actress award at the 17th edition of the Gran Canarian Festival having being awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Festival.
After the events of this third weekend, the festival enters into its final week of concerts until the end on 24 July, featuring performances by Avishai Cohen Big Vicious, Septeto Santiaguero, Fuensanta & Louis Cole, Philip Lassiter, Yusan, Pokaz Trio (Ucrania), Pepe Bao Sextet; and the Canarian ensembles Ernesto Montenegro Quintet and Rayko León Quartet.
