Jazz & Swing Sundays in Apolo
The posters of another era, the legendary hanging lamps, the red aura... in 2018 Apolo turned 75 proud and incredibly well-worn years, but it has never travelled better in time than on Jazz & Swing. That's when the Paral·lel becomes the "Little Italy" of New York and it does’t matter which year the calendar marks. The clock is left in the cloakroom to "hop" (literally) to the 20s.
The Barcelona Jazz Orquestra, under the baton of Dani Alonso, takes the reins of a session full of class where jazz and bop are as protagonists as the dancers who take the dance floor. The big band plays the swing, the room place the ideal set and the audience decide the dress code: the only rule is to draw back the curtain of time and let the happy 20s –those of the twentieth century, of course– return to our lives for a few hours.
Genres
Schedules
11:00 - 14:00
A prestigious big band
In each new edition of Jazz & Swing, the Barcelona Jazz Orquestra brings to perfection whatever is put in front of them. Their repertoire ranges from classics by masters such as Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie to adaptations of r&b, soul and pop. Or covers of AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Supertramp, Stevie Wonder or The Beatles themselves, interpreted in a jazz key but always maintaining the identity of the original songs.
They are often accompanied by other bands from Europe and guided by the singing of local vocalists. Less frequently, they also star in special evenings with guests from abroad who take the cycle to the next level. For example, Alonso and his band have introduced us to artists such as Jessie Davies from New Orleans and Cameroon's Emmanuel Djob.
No wonder then that they are considered one of the best big bands in Europe, having performed at prestigious festivals all over the world, such as the Marciac Festival, and collaborated with famous artists such as Benny Golson, Frank Wess, Ann Hampton Callaway and Tony Hadle. They have also recorded albums with Phil Woods, Nicholas Payton and Jesse Davis.
Jazz & Swing is the perfect excuse to bring together musicians, professional dancers and teachers with their friends or students. Or just curious onlookers looking for a different kind of Sunday. What is clear is that once you've tried it, you will surely come back.
Dances at Apolo, among the reference dates of lindy hop in Barcelona
Barcelona has become one of the capitals of swing music and the nerve centre of the Catalan lindy hop scene. Its community of dancers has not stopped growing and today it already has an important place in the city's cultural programme.
There are a multitude of schools, specialised shops and improvised corners where you can learn or perfect this art, but rarely can you do it with the live music of a great orchestra and in an authentic 1940s dance hall.
When an event like Jazz & Swing meets Sala Apolo, the result is... from another era: its size and warm, retro atmosphere come together with music in a format reminiscent of New York's legendary Savoy.
Jazz & Swing is the perfect excuse to bring together musicians from the city, professional dancers and teachers with their friends or students. Or simply curious people looking for a different Sunday plan. What is clear is that once you've tried it, you're sure to come back.