The Sant Andreu Jazz Band Celebrates Ten Years of Jazzing Fest

The unique music project known as the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, with its worldwide reputation as a wellspring of astonishing talent among its pre-teen and teenage jazz musicians, recently celebrated its landmark 10th annual Jazzing Fest (or simply, Jazzing) in Barcelona. Attendees from across Europe, the US, and elsewhere celebrated the rich history of the SAJB (founded by Joan Chamorro in 2006) and the decade-long festival, amid a steady stream of performances for three days in September. Among the several special musical guests were longtime favorites—and, one could say, honorary members of the SAJB family—American tenor sax giants Scott Hamilton and Joel Frahm. Jazzing has become perhaps the most effective event to spotlight not only the SAJB itself, but to also present other big bands, smaller combos, and individual vocalists and musicians from various locales who may not yet be familiar to those who follow the SAJB with considerable passion. The very first Jazzing featured ten guest big bands; last year’s event offered the project’s first themed festival, i.e., that of classic Brazilian music (especially bossa nova, of course). This year, it was back to an eclectic program that acknowledged a number of jazz styles, while adhering to a foundation of traditional jazz, with a packed schedule of six concerts each day. In its early years, the festival was held at the Sant Andre