News

Between Thursday 1st and Monday 5th July, Getxo will celebrate its 34th International Jazz Festival. This is the first of four events for jazz lovers in the Basque Country, who have an intense season ahead of them including the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival (11th-17th July), the Heineken Jazzaldia in Donostia-San Sebastian (21st-25th July) and the newly launched Blues Festival of Hondarribia (from 8th-11th July).

Until July 5th, Getxo Jazz 2010 will be hosting a total of 20 acts, including some highly respected artists and groups such as Charles Lloyd, Jerry González &' || 'amp; Fort apache, Dave Douglas, Dee Dee Bridgewater and David Sanborn. In addition, the Festival will be hosting a Battle of the Bands, the Tercer Milenio (third millennium) section and various jam sessions.

Getxo''s Biotz Alai square will once again host all major performances, as well as the Band Competition. Gigs and events will start at 9pm. Concerts that form part of the Tercer Milenio section will take place at Algorta station. Starting at 7pm, groups of young jazz musicians will demonstrate their fresh new brand of jazz music. Jam sessions will be held at Piper''s Irish Pub in Algorta from 12am onwards, when the gigs in the Biotz Alai have come to a close.

Programme

The opening day of the concert will include a performance from veteran saxophonist, flautist and composer Charles Lloyd. Lloyd was one of the those outstanding musicians of the US jazz scene of the 1970s, when he and his quartet broke new ground among followers of modern jazz and thriving hippy rock.

On Friday, day 2 of the Festival, Getxo Jazz welcomes trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez and the legendary Fort Apache Band. A key figure in Latin Jazz, González came to the forefront in the 70s decade by shunning mainstream trends among Latin groups in New York who mostly played salsa. He began to study the origins of Afro-Caribbean music in more depth and incorporate it into his music.

The festival reaches its peak on the Saturday, July 3rd at the hands of Dave Douglas and his quintet. Douglas is one of the most reputed trumpeters and composers of his generation and considered one of the most important musicians on the north American jazz and improvised music scene over the last few decades.

On Sunday July 4th, the Festival welcomes Dee Dee Bridgewater, one of the most renowned vocalists on the current jazz scene. Getxo Jazz comes to a close on Monday July 5th to the sweet sounds of prominent saxophonist David Sanborn.