Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival
Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival is celebrated since 1977 in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) in July.
History [edit]
In its first editions, the festival lasted only two days. Gradually it grew and in 1981 began to welcome stars like Oscar Peterson and Muddy Waters. Later came Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie with Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan and Jaco Pastorius.
Since 1995, this festival has been a full week long and has been held at the Sports Mendizorrotza, which has an acoustic quality.
In 1999, in its 14th edition, the series Jazz of the 21st Century began as an opportunity for jazz musicians coming to Spain for the first time. Artists such as Noa, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Hope Spalding and the sadly dead, Thomas Chapin and Esbjörn Svensson have been featured. Besides the concerts, the Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival has also introduced a program for students of music or music professional with in which have taken part teachers like Joe Pass, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Juilliard School of New York or Fred Hersch. There have been meetings in Vitoria that have passed to de music history such as Dizzy Gillespie with Stan Getz, Chick Corea with Bobby McFerrin, Paco de Lucía with Wynton Marsalis, Jamie Cullum with José James, and other artists.
The Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival has been an inspiration for Wynton Marsalis to the composition of Vitoria Suite with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Paco de Lucía as guest. In 2010 was presented a CD, with which Marsalis wanted to tribute Vitoria and its Jazz Festival.
The Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival is the unique Spanish Festival that belongs to the IJFO (International Jazz Festival Organization).
