The Canary Islands 2024 International Jazz Festival

Canary Island International Jazz Festival
Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote Islands
July 22, 2024

This journalist has made a habit of covering jazz festivals on islands, from St Lucia, Nevis, St Kitts and Tobago in the Caribbean to Mallorca and Malta in the Mediterranean and just recently traveled to another interesting festival on the archipelago of the Canary Islands. The 2024 Canary Island International Jazz Festival, "Canarias Jazz Y Mas" takes place in the summer month of July across town squares and theatres spread over its eight inhabited islands, with Tenerife and Gran Canaria among the most prominent locations.

Tuesday night's concert was at the Teatro Leal, one of the 10 most beautiful theatres in Spain, located in the colonial city of San Christobal de la Laguna, the former capital of Tenerife and just a short stroll from our home for the night, the charming Hotel La Laguna Nivaria, a renovated 16th Century manor house. There, the much-lauded American saxophonist Chris Potter together with pianist Brad Mehldau, described by the New York Times as, "the most influential jazz pianist of the past 20 years...," multi-award-winning bassist John Patitucci and the modernist drummer, Johnathan Blake took to the stage to appreciative applause from the sell-out audience.

Potter was touring his recent album "Eagles Point" which provided much of the material for his current festival shows. Among the numbers that impressed were the ethereal 'Dream Of Home' which shimmered to life with some minimalist piano chords from Mehldau and the ballad, 'Aria For Anna,' a number the saxophonist wrote for his daughter with enjoyable interplay between Patitucci and Mehldau. 'Malaga Moon' was an able showcase of Potter's flawless phrasing and rich tone with Mehldau's playing sometimes evoking memories of the great Bill Evans.

With the bandleader moving to the side to allow his musicians more soloing space, we enjoyed intricate bass lines from Patitucci and further fine improvisational probing from Brad Mehldau while Jonathan Blake's subtle cymbal swirls, swinging brush work and percussive tom-tom and snare drum patterns showed off his flamboyant skills to good effect. Most definitely a high spot of the evening and it was good to know that the (almost) 5-minute drum solo was still alive and well!

Afterwards we decanted to the atmospheric Bodegon Tocuyo in the old town to nibble on Tapas and sample local wines from the barrel as we reflected on the concert. The consensus seemed to be that whilst appreciating the high standard of the musicianship the set was a tad predictable. I thought it a shame that Potter had not thrown in a few numbers from his extensive back catalog to inject a little more variety into the show.

Next day we drove to the capital, the port city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, for the concert at the Teatro Guimera, the oldest theatre in the Canary Islands dating back to 1845. I was looking forward to hearing the singer Cecile McLorin Salvant whom I have not seen live before, wondering if all I have heard about her stage persona is true. I soon found out I was not about to be disappointed. The American born vocalist with a strong French pedigree is a true original, not only singing in English, French and Spanish but also often restructuring and re-interpreting songs in mid show as well as deciding on the night's repertoire depending on how she feels in the moment ....no fixed set list for Cecile McLorin Salvant!

Setting the tone of what is to come, McLorin Salvant appeared on stage in a multi-colored dress along with pianist Sullivan Fortner, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Kyle Poole. Shades of Sarah Vaughan showed in her flawless timing together with a marked gospel and blues influence on her singing drawing on the dramatics of artists such as Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, her vocals at once delicate and then soaringly expressive on Bert William's 'Nobody, a perfect example. Her special take on numbers by artists such as Gregory Porter and Dianne Reeves, was especially apparent in a swinging, funky interpretation of the latter's "I'm All Smiles."

Other highlights included Chilean folk singer Violata Parra's poignant "Gracias a la Vida" which McLorin Salvant sang in Spanish much to the delight of those watching following some hard work from pianist Sullivan Fortner navigating new harmonies for the song. Willie Dixon's much covered blues classic, "Spoonful" took on a life of its own in McLorin Salvant's a capella version, the audience assisting in handclaps to echo the kick drum beats of another fine percussionist, Kyle Poole.

The following day we took a short one hour forty-minute ferry journey over to the capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to enjoy the remainder of the concerts marking the grand finale of this year's jazz festival. These were taking place at Plaza Santa Ana, next to the neo-classical Cathedral in the historic UNESCO World Heritage area of Vegueta, a cool, artistic neighborhood with an abundance of welcoming bars and restaurants.

On the Thursday night the crowd began to gather in front of the stage in expectation of the first concert which featured the Latin American inspired Perinke Big Band with their show "Mango Fever." Along with several guest vocalists the audience was soon swaying to the exotic Mambo, Rumba and Salsa rhythms of Cuba together with a couple of numbers in homage to the great Tito Puente.

The second show featured Yoruba singer and guitarist Adedeji, the new Afro-funk phenomenon from Lagos Nigeria with his nine-piece band whose exuberant African Highlife influences combined with jazz-funk and soul creating a show that was a joy to watch, listen and dance to. Snappy horns gave a punchy backdrop to the driving rhythms whilst two gold sequined backing vocalists provided a glittering chorus backdrop for Adedeji's funky guitar playing and powerful vocals delighting the highly responsive crowd.

Friday morning and there was much to explore in Las Palmas de Canarias, a favorite holiday destination for the Spanish. Our hotel, the landmark AC Hotel Gran Canaria, wass within walking distance to the sweeping promenade and one of the best urban beaches in Europe, the Playa de las Canteras.

Further afield there was also plenty to see; banana and sugar cane plantations, the imposing gothic Cathedral in Arucas, picturesque villages and towns and family run restaurants such as the Casa Romantica in the sub-tropical Agaete Valley who grow their own ingredients as well as producing their own coffee and wine. With a mouth-watering selection of delicious dishes on the menu their talented head chef Aridani Alonso will soon be reaching for the stars, a Michelin star no doubt—a treat for both gourmets and gourmands alike!

But there was another double bill to enjoy over at the Plaza Santa Ana, the first featuring the celebrated American trumpeter Theo Croker and his quartet. Croker is known as a storyteller who speaks through his trumpet whilst embracing genres such as hip hop, swing and African percussion. Tonight's story found the band in multi-media mood, playing a largely electronic set that seemed to be more club orientated than suited to an outdoor space with overdubs of voices, sample loops and pulsating psychedelic-like graphics on the screen behind the stage. Although keyboardist Mike King's synth touches were a little heavy at times the concert still showcased Croker's fine, highly lyrical trumpet playing, evoking memories of the early Miles Davis.

Next on stage was the award-winning Serbian singer and guitarist Ana Popovic and her five-piece band who brought us back to a dance groove once more. Popovic, a fine guitarist, veered more to contemporary blues rock than pure blues but nevertheless with her funky Stax inspired horns and tight rhythm section she certainly knew how to put some soul into the blues. Her enthusiastic stage patter was a little new age and patronizing at times, but Popovic has gone through a tough period recently and she more than made up for it by the energy of her show highlighted by some rocking guitar riffs and soul-edged vocals that got everybody dancing until the last.

Saturday evening saw the traditional end to the festival with New York guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and his quartet whose gently swirling rhythms presented a perfect backdrop for Jonathan's melodically expressive guitar chords which fell like so many fluttering musical leaves..... what technique! They were followed by the Canarian pianist and composer Polo Orti who was debuting his new project bringing together an international group of young, talented musicians including the Galician drummer, Naima Acuna, Hungarian bassist Samuel Keri and Venezuelan trumpeter Chipi Chacon. Orti's eclectic 'New Project' proved a perfect mix of original compositions, jazz fusion, Latin rhythms and funky Electro Jazz beats to finish the festival in high style.

Founder and festival director Miguel Ramirez always keeps an eye on what is happening on the international scene as well as looking to discover new talents and giving visibility for local musicians to be able to build a good program each year. With around sixty concerts in twenty-eight different locations across the archipelago, Miguel acknowledged that with jazz and creative music always evolving, choosing the right artists for each space was vital and already he has started to prepare his ever-growing wish list for 2025.

It was great to be back in island vibe again and to have discovered 'Canarias Jazz Y Mas,' now in its 33rd year, with its interesting diversity of genres, from straight-ahead jazz to Latin and Afro Beats to jazz-fusion, blues and more and to have experienced the welcoming environments of two very special places, Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

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