To the beat of Jazz in San Sebastian

46^th edition of the Heineken Jazzaldia Festival

Of the three major jazz festivals taking place this July in the Basque country, the one celebrated in San Sebastian is by the far the most famous and most prestigious in Spain. With more than 40 editions of the event now under their belt (the first edition was in 1966), the festival has always been open to all styles and trends within the genre, converting it into a reflection of the history of modern jazz. All the main jazz figures of the last decades have performed in San Sebastian.

Since 1994, the festival has also been awarding the Donostiako Jazzaldia prize to a top artist, in recognition of their contribution to jazz.

Any music lover that appreciates this genre, should head down to this jazz festival in the charming city of San Sebastian, the 5^th most popular tourist destination in Spain.

This year, the festival, which is celebrated from the 21^st to the 26^th of July, will be led by the legendary master of the blues, B.B.King. Accompanying him will be Abdullah Ibrahim, Chick Corea, Cassandra Wilson, John Mclaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Cyndi Lauper, Bill Evans and Toots Thielemans, amongst others who we can enjoy watching perform.

More than 60 performances are scheduled to take place in 8 different venues in this beautiful Cantabrian city: the Centro Kursaal, plaza de la Trinidad and Museo San Telmo will be hosting the paid performances, whilst Zurriola beach and the Centro Kursaal terraces, amongst others, will be playing host to the free concerts.

This promises to be a very exciting event. What with the presence of legendary performers and young talents, this year’s festival will have a little bit of everything: jazz, blues, American folk and even the latest in indie music. Do you really want to miss out?

 Practical information:

When: 31^st to the 26^th of July

Price: The prices vary in accordance with the concert, some being free of charge. There are festival passes available (Plaza Trinidad pass, 4 concerts, 100 euro. Kursaal Auditorium pass, 3 concerts, 70 euro. Museo San Telmo pass, 3 concerts, 52 euro). Tickets are now on sale at ServiKutxa and in the Teatro Victoria Eugenia.

To give you an idea of what to expect, here is a video of the jazz fusion group Return to Forever that will be performing in the Kursaal Auditorium on the 23^rd of July.