Thursday marks start of fifth Formentera Jazz Festival—now more sustainable

foto-presentacio---for-jazz-fe1Acting councillor of tourism Alejandra Ferrer met with musician and cultural producer Maxwel Moya to unveil details about the fifth Formentera Jazz Festival. Moya is both the director and founder of the CiF-backed event, which is scheduled to take place at a host of sites across the island from Thursday to Sunday, 6-9 June.

Congratulating Moya on the festival's growing success, Ferrer linked the Council's support to wanting to give tourists extra incentives to come visit, “and filling out the cultural catalogue for islanders”.

Plastic-Free Festival
Festival organisers have worked out a deal with Plastic-Free Formentera to increase the sustainability of this year's gathering by setting up water fountains and serving drinks in recyclable cups. Plus, on Sunday at 5.00pm, the festival crew and any attendees keen to lend a hand will head to the beach at es Pujols to pick up micro-plastics.

Moya told festivalgoers to expect a Formentera Jazz Festival that is true to its roots, and made assurances that, though the event will still be a meeting of jazz veterans, there will be enough spotlight to go around for some of the other styles that have influenced jazz: hip-hop, funk, Latin jazz, Brazilian music, flamenco and even electronica.

Free festival
Besides being open to everyone and free to attend, the fifth Formentera Jazz Festival will play out across an array of stages. The kickoff, Thursday at 9.00pm at Blue Bar, will include a performance from Max Holm Trio. Ermanno Panta and Banda Zeitun will give a concert in Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució at the same time on Friday, with performances from Myriam at 11.00pm and DJ Uri Callejo at 12.30am. Saturday comes with one of the festival's newest features: a daytime concert by Ghost Seed (1.30pm) as part of an initiative called Picnic–Jazz. Then Perico Sambeat will play before crowds at the Sant Francesc square from 9.00pm, Tonina Saputo from 11.00pm and Midi Jazz Club and DJ D.Wattsriot from 12.30pm.

Jam session
Like every year, Formentera Jazz Festival devotes the final day of the festival to musicians on the island of all stripes—pros as well as amateurs—to come out for a giant jam session. The only rule? A jazz music axiom: improvisation. The session starts at 7.00pm on Sunday in Chezz Gerdi.

The complete activities programme is available at www.formenterajazzfestival.com.

The presentation of the Formentera Jazz Festival programme also included an intimate performance by Ermanno Panta, a Sicilian artist who lives on the island and will début his lastest effort, “Isla Musa”, to festival audiences.

4 June 2019
Office of Communication
Formentera Council