- More than 30 artists will perform in the main theaters, auditoriums and squares of the Canary Islands between July 1 and 24, 2022
- Avishai Cohen Big Vicious, Septeto Santiaguero, Nate Smith + Kinfolk, Ben Wendel Quartet, Immanuel Wilkins and Samantha Fish complete the line-up of the 31st edition
Marcus Miller, winner of two Grammy Awards; Gregory Porter, who has won another two awards; and the San Francisco Jazz Collective project, led by saxophonist Chris Potter, also a Grammy winner, will be some of the main artists that will be part of the program of the 31st Canarias Jazz & Más International Festival, to be held between July 1 and 24. Three of the genre's leading artists will be joined by about thirty more, who will offer their concerts in the main theaters, auditoriums, halls and squares of the eight islands. Among the projects already confirmed are trumpeter Avishai Cohen Big Vicious, Nate Smith + Kinfolk, Ben Wendel Quartet, Immanuel Wilkins, Samantha Fish, Kadri Voorand in Duo with Mihkel Mälgand, Septeto Santiaguero, Ángela Cervantes and Pepe Rivero Quartet, Trio Corrente, Philip Lassiter and Yusan, a list that will be completed in the near future with more local, national and international artists.
Marcus Miller has been called one of the most influential artists of our time. At the peak of his career for over 30 years, he has won two Grammy Awards, the 2013 Edison Award (Netherlands), the 2010 Victoire du Jazz (France) and in 2013, he was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace. His signature bass sound can be heard on a limitless catalog of musical hits, from Bill Wither to Luther Vandross to Chaka Khan, David Sanborn, Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Elton John and Bryan Ferry. With his distinctive style - a unique combination of funk, groove, soul and pure technical skills - Miller has been called one of the most significant bassists in jazz, R&B, fusion and soul. Bass Player magazine includes him in its list of the ten most influential bassists of this generation.
After several years of touring in Miles Davis' band in the early 1980s, Miller developed a close professional and personal relationship with Davis that led to collaborations on three critically acclaimed albums, the most famous being Tutu, which made Miller the late jazz legend's producer, arranger and principal composer. The album and title track, which Miller composed, produced, arranged and performed, are considered an important addition to the canon of contemporary jazz music. The album not only won two Grammy Awards, but is considered one of the definitive Miles Davis albums of our time.
The current project - Laid Black - shows Miller incorporating more modern and urban elements into his music, from trap, hiphop, R&B to gospel. Of this music, Miller says, "After Afrodeezia, which I traveled the world extensively with, I thought it would be nice to bring into the mix some of the influences of our time that I was hearing here at home. My band and the guest artists I recruited to collaborate on this album are versatile enough to play music ranging from be-bop to hip-hop. That made the musical blend I wanted to achieve on this album possible." Laid Black features collaborations with Trombone Shorty, Kirk Whalum, Patches Stewart, Take 6, Jonathan Butler and vocalist Selah Sue.
Known for his warm baritone voice, Gregory Porter was acclaimed in the 2010s with his earthy style of jazz, soul and gospel. Porter is a talented singer of standards, as well as more contemporary soul material, and has earned favorable comparisons to his idols Nat King Cole, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. He earned a Grammy nomination for his 2010 debut, Water. After signing to Blue Note, she became even more widely known for her third album, Liquid Spirit (2013) which reached number two on the jazz charts and won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Although his original songs are his main focus, Porter often returns to his roots, as on his tribute album Nat King Cole & Me (2017).
Born in Los Angeles in 1971, Porter grew up in Bakersfield, California. It was through his mother's record collection that he fell under Cole's spell, learning early on to imitate him. In addition to singing, he was also a gifted athlete, and left high school on a soccer scholarship to San Diego State University. However, after a shoulder injury derailed his athletic career, he moved to Brooklyn, where he worked by day as a chef while performing at local jazz clubs. It was during this period that he met saxophonist, composer and pianist Kamau Kenyatta.
Kenyatta quickly became Porter's mentor and introduced him to flutist Hubert Laws, who featured Porter on a track on his album Hubert Laws Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole. Laws' sister, Eloise Laws, also heard Porter during the sessions and cast him as one of the leads in the musical It Ain't Nothing But the Blues, which eventually played on Broadway. In 2010, Porter released his first album, Water, which was well received and received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Be Good followed two years later.
In September 2013, Porter released his third album and Blue Note debut, Liquid Spirit. Produced by Brian Bacchus, the album was a huge success, landing at number two on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart, and picking up the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. It also became one of the most streamed jazz albums of all time, over 20 million. His second work for Blue Note, Take Me to the Alley, was released in early 2016, and included Porter's version of Holding On, a track he previously co-wrote and recorded with the electronic group Disclosure. Also in 2016, Porter delivered the concert album Live in Berlin.
San Francisco Jazz Collective (SFJAZZ Collective) was founded in 2004 by the SFJAZZ, a non-profit organization that provides and facilitates jazz instruction in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1983, it has produced the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the SFJAZZ season and Summer Sessions, which include more than 400 performances annually. All of this activity takes place at the SFJAZZ Center, a building located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood, which opened in January 2013 and is considered the "first free-standing building in the United States built for the performance and teaching of jazz." It has classrooms, concert halls, rehearsal rooms....
Currently, SFJAZZ Collective consists of Chris Potter (musical director, tenor and soprano sax), David Sanchez (tenor sax), Etienne Charles (trumpet), Warren Wolf (vibraphone), Edward Simon (piano), Matt Brewer (bass), Kendrick Scott (drums), Martin Luther McCoy (vocals and guitar) and Gretchen Parlato (vocals), nominated at the last Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her album Flor.
