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🇪🇸 Spain /Culture & Society

JazzSí, where Rosalía cut her teeth live, is set to sound again

From La Vanguardia · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources New plan
  • Barcelona’s JazzSí venue will reopen on September 18, three years after closing because of financial difficulties linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The renovated venue will hold fewer than 100 people and plans to programme jazz alongside flamenco, rock and electronic music.
  • The reopening has support from Taller de Músics, public authorities and local residents.

The small Barcelona venue where Rosalía made some of her first live appearances is preparing to make music again. JazzSí, on Requesens Street in the Raval, will reopen on September 18, three years after financial difficulties linked to the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close.

The venue returns under new ownership, with the former managers of the Milano Jazz Club directing its musical programme. A complete renovation by the LVA architecture studio has added sound insulation rated at 100 decibels, the level required for a nightclub, along with a high-quality sound system. The room will seat fewer than 100 people, a scale that the new team sees as an advantage for experimental music.

The small space gives us the freedom to open ourselves to experimental music.

· Liba VillavecchiaVillavecchia described how the venue’s intimate size will shape its musical programme.

“The small space gives us the freedom to open ourselves to experimental music,” said Liba Villavecchia, a veteran jazz musician involved in the reopening with Clara Conill and Guim Cifré. The venue remains under construction, with stairs and cables still visible, but it is planned to include a new kitchen and bar. New windows will connect the terrace with the interior and open fully onto the street.

More light and life to the street.

· The president of the buildingVillavecchia quoted the building’s president expressing support for the reopening.

The project has received support from Taller de Músics, most public authorities, the district and the Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals, which subsidized part of the renovation. Local residents have also backed the reopening. Villavecchia said the building’s president told them that an open venue would bring “more light and life to the street.”

JazzSí’s references include London’s Cafe Oto, Krakow’s Alchemia and Berlin’s small live-music rooms. Although its founders come from jazz, the programme will extend to flamenco, rock and electronic music. The team wants to “blur the lines,” with music planned every day and additional lunchtime performances on weekends. Taller de Músics will remain involved, hosting its jam sessions on the third Wednesday of each month, as well as events including Setmana del Jazz and Raval Sessions.

Blur the lines.

· Clara ConillConill described the project’s intention to move beyond jazz into other genres.
About this summary

Originally published by La Vanguardia in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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