Jazz Festival – Everything You Need To Know

• Montréal Jazz Festival.
• Vitoria-Jazz Festival.
• Mazunte Jazz Festival.
• Madrid Jazz Festival.

Now that we've gotten down to business, let's get started.

The Jazz. A little history

No doubt your life will have many moments with jazz sounds. But you may not know that this rhythm was born in the 19th century, in the United States. Its success was such that little by little it was expanding to the rest of the world. By the 20th century, jazz was already known internationally.

Jazz is undoubtedly characterized by three basic elements:

• The improvisation. Improvisation is the soul of jazz. Knowing how to play with the sounds is essential to learn to play it.
• The swing. Swing is a type of rhythmic quality very typical of this type of music. The swing makes the public respond with the dance, moving the whole body without stopping.
• A musician's own sound. Jazz is unique to each musician. That is why it is not surprising that each one interprets with their own sound.

Jazz festival the most important

From dotcoms we want to review the main jazz festivals. We want the swing to invade you and you can enjoy each one of them. If you have the opportunity does not hesitate to visit them. Without a doubt, these festivals are the most important in the world.

Montreal Jazz Festival or FIJM

The Montreal International Jazz Festival is undoubtedly one of the most international in existence. It has been held since the 1980s in Quebec, Canada, in Montreal. And since then, every July there is an unfishable date for jazz lovers in Montreal.

Today the Montreal Jazz Festival is considered the most important of its kind. In fact, it has broken all the Guinness records in this regard. In total, this festival brings together an average of 3,000 artists year after year. These artists come from 30 different countries and offer the public more than 600 concerts. In total, more than 2.5 million spectators do not hesitate to walk the streets of Montreal during the celebration of this incredible festival.

If you visit Montreal during July you can enjoy two types of concerts.

1. Outdoor concerts. More than 450 are played and they are completely free. Here you can hear unknown artists who take advantage of this unique platform to make them known. However, sometimes you will find world-renowned artists playing outdoors. They do it for the pleasure of vibrating to the sound of music with the great masses of the public that are concentrated in the streets of Montreal.
2. Concerts in the auditorium. More than 200 concerts have a place inside the auditoriums. These, unlike the first, are paid. The most prestigious artists in the world of jazz play in these auditoriums year after year.

Over the years, the organizers have wanted to accommodate all types of audiences within the festival. To the point where outdoor activities have been created for everyone to enjoy. For example the Musical Park for children, an art gallery, or the small school of jazz. These way future generations can feel this amazing music and grow with it.

If you can't travel to Montreal during the month of July, don't worry. All their concerts are recorded on CD and DVD so that you can purchase them and enjoy the best jazz from your home or your car.

Vitoria Jazz Festival

If you live in Spain, you have another of the most important international jazz festivals very close to you. This is the Vitoria Jazz Festival or Gasteizko Jazzaldia.

This festival has been offering the best of jazz music since the 70s. You can enjoy it in the city of Vitoria. The first festival was held at the Landázuri Sports Center. However, from the second edition it began to be held at the Mendizorroza Sports Center. Since its birth it has passed through different locations. Today, and since 1996, it is held at the sports center and at the Tetra Principal. This event has been offering the best of jazz for more than 40 years. Since its third edition, the organizers remain the same.

During its first four editions, the Vitoria Jazz Festival brought together the winners of the amateur contest of the San Sebastian Jazz Festival. However, from the fourth, great stars of the jazz world began to play their best rhythms in this festival. Artists of the stature of Carrie Smith, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz or Ella Fitzgerald have given the best of their rhythms here.

This festival, which began in just 2 days, has lasted one week today since 1994. 5 days of live jazz for the enjoyment of all lovers of good music.

From the 14th edition, which was held in 1990, a new stage was added: the Jazz of the 21st century. On this somewhat smaller stage, you can enjoy incredible concerts every evening of the festival.

The Vitoria Jazz Festival is always in continuous growth. For example, beginning in 1985, seminars began to be held. Joe Pass was the first to open the season. Since 2003 this seminar has been held year after year. Which allows lovers of good music to learn much more about jazz.

Mazunte Jazz Festival

In 2017 it will be 12 years since the first Mazunte International Jazz Festival was held in Mexico.

In it you can not only listen to the best jazz music, but you can also enjoy movie sessions, workshops, art exhibitions and a finger-licking meal.

This festival, which is celebrated year after year in the month of November, does so in a truly idyllic setting. It is a semi-virgin beach, so it is really worth going to this incredible festival. The accommodation in this paradisiacal place is within reach of all pockets. You can stay in very cheap hotels or even camp near the beach. There are also more careful options for tourists with more economic capacity. The price in these cases is around €1,200 – €1,800 per night. As you can see there are options for all tastes.

If you have an egg in November and you can visit Mazunte, don't hesitate and do it! One of the characteristics of this festival is that the musicians who participate in it do not appear until three weeks before the event. However, we assure you that the selected cast will be worth it. Among the greats that have already been part of the Mazunte International Jazz Festival, names such as Earl Thomas, León Corona Latin Jazz, Caracas Jazz Band, Sahara Project, etc. stand out.

This festival is always celebrated in the late afternoon. This allows visitors to enjoy the island during the morning. You can go sightseeing and visit the Sea Turtle Museum or the Ventanilla mangrove swamp.

Madrid Jazz Festival

The Madrid International Jazz Festival is also known as the Jazz Madrid. Every year, in the months of October or November, Madrid receives the best of jazz music. Last year this event took place from October 25 to November 27. And it was held at the Villa Cultural Center, at the Coned Duque Cultural Center and at the Fern a Gómez Theater.

It is not surprising that this festival has become one of the most prevalent internationally. It should not be forgotten that there has been a great jazz culture in Madrid since the 1980s. Every year multiple jazz concerts are held. In fact, there are specific rooms, such as Hearts, where you can find a group every week. In them you can find from new artists to established figures in the world of jazz.

And precisely because of the passion that Madrid shows for these rhythms, it was decided to launch this international jazz festival. As in other events of this type, such as the one in Oaxaca, during its celebration you can enjoy many different art samples. From cinema to debates about this music or art exhibitions.

If you plan to go through the Spain and visit its large tourist offer, do not hesitate and do it in November. Get your trip to coincide with the dates of this festival. This year it will be held from November 2 to 30.