Music lovers get a new, reworked Formentera Jazz Festival

Foto presentacio Jazz Festival 2016Two arms of the Formentera Council —the Office of Local Holidays and the Office of Tourism— announced details today about the Formentera Jazz Festival of 2016. The music series, which turns two this year, will kick off its week-long run today at 4.00pm and push on through Sunday June 5. Councillor Susana Labrador, of the culture and holidays office, and Alejandra Ferrer, of tourism, sat for a press conference with the former Ojos de Brujo member Maxwell Wright, a Formentera native and chair of the Formentera Jazz Festival.

Festivalgoers this year get an extra day of music and activities for adults and kids alike, not to mention a full programme of films, part of a brand new initiative put together with the musical documentary fest In-Edit. But for the second year running, Formentera Jazz shines for its line-up of live jazz musicians, which includes Llessui, Jazzabell, Para Orbe, Mediando Collective, Tula Quartet, Román Filiu Quartet & The Beautiful Splendid Extra Quinteto and DJ Raver Jewish.

Activities
Things first get under way this afternoon at 4.00pm with a percussion workshop for adults in the Sant Francesc park Jardí de ses Eres. Then, at 7.00pm, the cinema will host a projection of the musical documentary Let's get lost Chet Baker. The real opening party, though, will get rolling back at the Jardí de ses Eres at 9.30pm with an evening of Jazz Lounge.

The activities pick up again Friday at 4.00pm, first with a adults workshop of contemporary dance in Jardí de ses Eres and then —at 7.00pm in the cinema— with a projection of a musical documentary entitled San Andreu Jazz Band. Starting at 9.30pm on the main stage at Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució, there will be performances by Mediant Collective, followed by Jazzbell at 11.00pm and Llessui Trío at 00.30am.

Saturday at 4.00pm, a singing and percussion workshop is scheduled for kids in Jardí de ses Eres. Later, at 7.00pm, the cinema crew will host another screening, this time of the musical documentary The three sides dream Rahssan Roland Kirk. Once again, the evening's musical performances happen on the main stage, with Tula Cuarteto at 9.30pm, Roman Filiu Quartet at 11.00, Papa Orbe y The Beautiful Splendid Extra Quinteto at 00.30am and DJ Raver Jewish closing the set with a show at 2.00am.

Closing party
The final day of the Formentera Jazz Festival, Sunday, will include an evening jam session in Blue Bar. The Formentera Council provides logistical support, musician accommodation and 10,000 euros in funding for the festival, a destination for tourists and residents alike. Tickets to documentary screenings are five euros and the rest of the festival activities are free.