Tarragona international dixieland festival
Encyclopedia
The Tarragona International Dixieland Festival () was born in Tarragona
, Catalonia
, Spain
, in 1994, where since the restoration of democratic local governments jazz
had been recovered as a stable form within the different cultural programmes during the year. As other Catalan and Spanish cities already had jazz festivals in a generic sense, the Town Hall of Tarragona opted to specialize in dixieland
. That is to say, the starting point of jazz, the most traditional jazz, which involved some thematic innovation.
Nowadays, this the unique dixieland festival in Spain and one of the major musical events in Catalonia. Some journalists have considered it as one of the four most important dixieland festivals in Europe
: Breda
(The Netherlands), Dresden
(Germany
), Miskolc
(Hungary
) and Tarragona
(Spain
). In fact, Tarragona Dixieland Festival is the best known dixieland festival in the Mediterranean area.
Spreading of jazz among wide areas of population so as to find a maximum promotion and diversification of new public. In fact, the Festival reaches schoolchildren from schools in Tarragona and housewives who daily come across the bands in the different markets.
* Support to local artistic creation
Support to local artistic creation, which has already borne fruit, as nowadays the town has its own big band and four brass bands and one other jazz groups. The opportunity for local musicians to play with some of the great stars of Catalan, European and American jazz, sometimes during the same jam and on the same stage, has no doubt been an incentive to take into account.
* Integration in the network of musical areas in the city.
Integration in the network of musical areas in the city. Ever since the beginning, the Festival has tried to be present in all those venues that usually schedule music in our city. That is why the Festival includes a wide list of indoor stages that have the Metropol Theatre as a focal point.
* Cooperation between public resources and private enterprise in the programmes and their financing.
Cooperation between public resources and private enterprise in the programmes and their financing. The Festival’s artistic direction is free and independent but also integrated into the cultural management team of the Culture Department of the City Council of Tarragona. Other participants in the programme are : the owners of private venues with business management that hold the Festival, and other non-profitmaking organizations that manage stages and coordinate concerts for schools.
* Creation of new jazz markets
Creation of new jazz markets. The Tarragona Festival has helped dixieland to be really present today in public and private programmes in Catalonia
. No doubt the increase of Catalan dixieland bands is a reality, and specially the change of interpreters. This way, new young bands have appeared next to old bands like La Locomotora Negra and La Vella Dixieland. All these groups are in position to perform not only in specialised circles but also in official ceremonies, inaugurations, publicity campaigns and popular celebrations.
* Contribution to the maintenance of private orchestras and bands
Contribution to the maintenance of private orchestras and bands. All the groups that have taken part in the Festival are under private management but professional ones stand out against non-profitmaking associations.
* Creation of a cultural hallmark within the Catalan and Spanish music scene.
Creation of a cultural hallmark within the Catalan and Spanish music scene. Today, the Tarragona
Festival is the only one specialised in this form of music in all the Spanish Mediterranean area. Such uniqueness fits perfectly into a music scene with a diversity of music festivals. Thus, the Dixieland Festival has contributed to keep the territorial balance of musical activity in Catalonia
and in Spain
. Its success has also contributed to the birth of other initiatives, with still very young festivals, in other areas of the Iberian Peninsula
.
* To become a contracting centre for other festivals
To become a contracting centre for other festivals. Apart from generating more contracts, the Festival constantly provides other festival programmers with information, not only musical but also theatrical, as dixieland bands street parades often have a theatrical side as well. The Festival gathers consultants from different European cities, especially German, although the first intention was not to be a music market but a festival.
* Offer of the best bands worldwide at this kind of music
Offer of the best bands worldwide at this kind of music. Artistic care has been one of the focal points of the Tarragona Festival. In the section about the groups that have taken part in the Festival you can see that the standard of high artistic quality has been constant in all the previous years.
* A contemporary project
A contemporary project. New musical trends worldwide have shown that dixieland has been re-interpreted by new bands that have defined a new musical movement known as neoswing, which started in the USA but has also influenced the Festival.
* Regular production of creations and unpublished projects.
Year after year, the Festival has produced its own shows, together with private initiative. Most of them have had great artistic success, have been backed by the critics, ans some of them have even toured several festivals and programmes.
* Support to training and professional development for young musicians
The Dixieland Festival of Tarragona has never been exclusively focused on great stars, but has gone for the integration of new bands, especially the youngest, in the program.
* Cooperation actions with other festivals of the Mediterranean area.
On several occasions, Tarragona has worked with the Jazz Festival of Terrassa
, in Catalonia
, and since 2006 it has been working with the Dixieland Festival of Cantanhede in Portugal
and with the Catalan Trapezi Circus Fair from Reus
.
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in 1994, where since the restoration of democratic local governments jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
had been recovered as a stable form within the different cultural programmes during the year. As other Catalan and Spanish cities already had jazz festivals in a generic sense, the Town Hall of Tarragona opted to specialize in dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
. That is to say, the starting point of jazz, the most traditional jazz, which involved some thematic innovation.
Nowadays, this the unique dixieland festival in Spain and one of the major musical events in Catalonia. Some journalists have considered it as one of the four most important dixieland festivals in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
: Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
(The Netherlands), Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Miskolc
Miskolc
Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
(Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
) and Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). In fact, Tarragona Dixieland Festival is the best known dixieland festival in the Mediterranean area.
Objectives of the festival
* SpreadingSpreading of jazz among wide areas of population so as to find a maximum promotion and diversification of new public. In fact, the Festival reaches schoolchildren from schools in Tarragona and housewives who daily come across the bands in the different markets.
* Support to local artistic creation
Support to local artistic creation, which has already borne fruit, as nowadays the town has its own big band and four brass bands and one other jazz groups. The opportunity for local musicians to play with some of the great stars of Catalan, European and American jazz, sometimes during the same jam and on the same stage, has no doubt been an incentive to take into account.
* Integration in the network of musical areas in the city.
Integration in the network of musical areas in the city. Ever since the beginning, the Festival has tried to be present in all those venues that usually schedule music in our city. That is why the Festival includes a wide list of indoor stages that have the Metropol Theatre as a focal point.
* Cooperation between public resources and private enterprise in the programmes and their financing.
Cooperation between public resources and private enterprise in the programmes and their financing. The Festival’s artistic direction is free and independent but also integrated into the cultural management team of the Culture Department of the City Council of Tarragona. Other participants in the programme are : the owners of private venues with business management that hold the Festival, and other non-profitmaking organizations that manage stages and coordinate concerts for schools.
* Creation of new jazz markets
Creation of new jazz markets. The Tarragona Festival has helped dixieland to be really present today in public and private programmes in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. No doubt the increase of Catalan dixieland bands is a reality, and specially the change of interpreters. This way, new young bands have appeared next to old bands like La Locomotora Negra and La Vella Dixieland. All these groups are in position to perform not only in specialised circles but also in official ceremonies, inaugurations, publicity campaigns and popular celebrations.
* Contribution to the maintenance of private orchestras and bands
Contribution to the maintenance of private orchestras and bands. All the groups that have taken part in the Festival are under private management but professional ones stand out against non-profitmaking associations.
* Creation of a cultural hallmark within the Catalan and Spanish music scene.
Creation of a cultural hallmark within the Catalan and Spanish music scene. Today, the Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
Festival is the only one specialised in this form of music in all the Spanish Mediterranean area. Such uniqueness fits perfectly into a music scene with a diversity of music festivals. Thus, the Dixieland Festival has contributed to keep the territorial balance of musical activity in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Its success has also contributed to the birth of other initiatives, with still very young festivals, in other areas of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
.
* To become a contracting centre for other festivals
To become a contracting centre for other festivals. Apart from generating more contracts, the Festival constantly provides other festival programmers with information, not only musical but also theatrical, as dixieland bands street parades often have a theatrical side as well. The Festival gathers consultants from different European cities, especially German, although the first intention was not to be a music market but a festival.
* Offer of the best bands worldwide at this kind of music
Offer of the best bands worldwide at this kind of music. Artistic care has been one of the focal points of the Tarragona Festival. In the section about the groups that have taken part in the Festival you can see that the standard of high artistic quality has been constant in all the previous years.
* A contemporary project
A contemporary project. New musical trends worldwide have shown that dixieland has been re-interpreted by new bands that have defined a new musical movement known as neoswing, which started in the USA but has also influenced the Festival.
* Regular production of creations and unpublished projects.
Year after year, the Festival has produced its own shows, together with private initiative. Most of them have had great artistic success, have been backed by the critics, ans some of them have even toured several festivals and programmes.
* Support to training and professional development for young musicians
The Dixieland Festival of Tarragona has never been exclusively focused on great stars, but has gone for the integration of new bands, especially the youngest, in the program.
* Cooperation actions with other festivals of the Mediterranean area.
On several occasions, Tarragona has worked with the Jazz Festival of Terrassa
Terrassa
Terrassa is a city in the east central region of Catalonia, Spain, in the comarca of Vallès Occidental, of which it is the co-capital along with Sabadell, the historic capital....
, in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, and since 2006 it has been working with the Dixieland Festival of Cantanhede in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and with the Catalan Trapezi Circus Fair from Reus
Reus
Reus is the capital of the comarca of Baix Camp, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The area has always been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental importance at the time of the Phylloxera plague...
.