The Valencia Jazz Festival has unveiled the program for its 29th edition, which this year features a handful of international artists and focuses on soul, gospel, and Latin repertoire, alongside the genre's usual staples. The organization, managed by the Palau de la Música, seeks to solidify a model that coexists with Grammy Award-winning artists and the global music scene.
This year's lineup includes notable figures such as Maria Schneider (July 6), Esperanza Spalding (July 7), Joe Lovano (July 8), and Włodek Pawlik (July 5). Schneider is considered an international benchmark, while Spalding represents the new generation of jazz, having won the Best New Artist Grammy in 2011. These two artists provide a female-led headliner, steering clear of major commercial blockbusters.
The musical event sees a slight reduction compared to previous editions, decreasing from a dozen concerts to eight, spread across the Rodrigo and Iturbi halls of the Palau de la Música. In addition to the four headliners, there will be an evening dedicated to Valencian jazz (July 1), inspired by Louis Armstrong's song 'What a Wonderful World,' featuring Ximo Tébar, David Pastor, Joan Monné, Cristina Blasco, and Bárbara Breva.
Other artists participating in the festival include Lizz Wright (July 4), who returns to the Palau, and José James and China Moses (July 12), who will present a tribute to Marvin Gaye on the 50th anniversary of his album 'I Want You.' A new addition is a gospel concert with the formation Gospel Factory, a subgenre new to the festival but previously well-received at the Palau.
The festival will also extend from July 18 to 26 to the districts of Valencia affected by Dana, with free concerts featuring young and local ensembles, aiming to "provide new opportunities for local talent," according to the Deputy Director of Music, Nieves Pascual.
The managing director of the Palau de la Música, Vicente Llimerá, has defended the new budget management model, which represents a 40% reduction from the previous year, dropping from 326,506 euros to 168,949 euros for this edition. Llimerá asserts that the model is "powerful" and "quite affordable," maintaining the quality of the programming despite the quantitative decrease.
Although the number of concerts has decreased, the quality of the headliners, with years of experience and recognition, remains high. The program also includes the continuation of 'Jazz a les pedanies' and the 'Seminari de Jazz i Música Llatina.' The participation of the Orquestra de València, which could not be confirmed this year due to other projects, is expected to return for the festival's 30th anniversary in 2027.
Ticket prices range from 10 to 35 euros and are already available on the Palau de la Música website.
