From 10 to 13 April, the twelfth edition of Jazz Antic Sitges is bringing together around 130 musicians, including international jazz figures and bands from Catalonia, Sitges and Spain. Over the course of four days, more than 25 concerts will be held for the enjoyment of both fans and the curious. The event programme was unveiled this Thursday at the Malvasia Interpretation Centre (CIM) with the participation of the Culture Councillor, Albert Oliver-Rodés, and the festival's artistic director, Joan Pinós.

The big news this year is the new venue for most concerts, the Escorxador. The Escorxador now joins the iconic spots in town like El Retiro and El Prado, along with private establishments.

The Festival will offer four days of jazz with a total of over 25 concerts featuring both local talent and musicians from elsewhere, from veterans to promising new artists.

Programming highlights

The main event at the Festival is the traditional Saturday evening Parade. This year the route has changed slightly. It leaves from Plaça de la Indústria at 6:30 pm and goes through wider streets, given that the number of participants increases every year. The Parade will arrive at the Cap de les Vila, where the musicians will head out to each venue for the dinner concerts. When they finish, there will be a jam session at Montroig Café.

Throughout the festival there will be a wide array of concerts by artists like the British multi-instrumentalist and composer Ewan Bleach, the special guest at the twelfth edition of Jazz Antic Sitges. Bleach, who is scholarly of 1920s-style jazz, is participating in the event for the first time and will perform at the Teatre Prado on Friday 11 April at 10 pm.  

A new feature this year is a Big Bands gathering in El Retiro gardens on Saturday 12 April at 3:30 pm. The Big Band Sitges, with the collaboration of the Montserrat Almirall Municipal Music School, will host the second Big Band gathering, to be held in zone 7 of the ACEM (Garraf, Anoia and Alt and Baix Penedès).

The big bands participating in this event are:

• Big Band Sitges + EMMMAS Wind Ensemble
• Vilanova Big Band from the Mestre Montserrat Conservatory in Vilanova i la Geltrú
• The Big Band from the M. Dolors Calvet Municipal School in Vilafranca del Penedès
• EMAP Jazz Band (Alt Penedès Music School)
• Aguacate Band and Risismil from the Maria Escolà i Cases Municipal Music Classroom in Piera.

Each group will play a series of tunes for about 30 minutes in the El Retiro gardens, which will enable audiences to listen to and get to know these spectacular bands filled with energy and excitement just before this year’s Parade.

Libros y Washboards, a Sextet Concert, is being held on Saturday 12 April to present the book Pels Camins de la Música i l’Esperit by the clarinettist Oriol Romaní and the new artisan Tandrow washboards. Afterwards, participants will have the chance to learn how a washboard is crafted and played.

The performance will feature top-notch Catalan musicians, including Oriol Romaní along with Ricard Gili on trumpet, Josemi Moraleda on double-bass, Erin Sutton on banjo and Oriol González on washboard.

The programme also includes a performance by the South Side Stompers, a band specialising in Hot Jazz and pre-swing from the 1920s and 1930s, who will offer a unique show that will carry the audience back to jazz joints from over a century ago. The band has seven members, including musicians from Sitges who have attended Jazz Antic Sitges since they were children.

Dinners with live jazz

Since the first edition, the dinners with live jazz have become a classic. This year there will be six venues with concerts on Saturday evening. There will be a surprise concert at 9 pm at each participating restaurant, with a band made up of musicians who have participated in the Parade.  

Educational side of the Jazz Antic Sitges Festival

The Festival is also committed to educating the public in music and holds instructional workshops to share the origins and magic of New Orleans jazz with young people.  The sessions are targeted at first- through sixth-grade students at Sitges schools.

Tickets on sale here