The Festival Director and Councilor for Culture, David Martínez, today unveiled the complete program for the 28th San Javier International Jazz Festival, which will offer a total of 25 concerts over 15 nights, between June 26 and July 24. This year's Festival, which pays special attention to genres such as soul and blues, featuring both legendary artists and emerging talents, will be dedicated to the memory of Steve Cropper, Eddie Palmieri, Sheila Jordan, Raul Malo, and Miles Griffith.
The Madrid-based jazz group KGG provided the music for the presentation, which took place on the Town Hall terrace with the participation of the First Deputy Mayor, María Dolores Ruiz, and the Director General of the Institute of Cultural Industries and the Arts (ICA), Manuel Cebrián.María Dolores Martínez expressed her gratitude to the sponsors, collaborators, and the entire municipal team that organizes the Festival, "which, once again, transforms our town into a meeting point for music lovers."
The Director General of the ICA, Manuel Cebrián, highlighted the San Javier City Council's capacity to generate the cultural offerings of its festivals and reiterated the regional government's support for the International Jazz Festival, part of the "Festivals Region of Murcia" brand, which, according to the latest official study, has generated €70 million in revenue, Cebrián reported.
Oscar Mariné has designed the poster for this year's festival, which features Pat Metheny, considered by many to be the greatest guitarist of all time, along with legends like tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and unique, charismatic artists such as Minneapolis vocalist José James, who will perform alongside China Moses. The festival will also showcase exciting groups and bands like The Brand New Heavies, a pioneering British acid jazz group, and the supergroup Take Me To The River All Stars, a project that brings together top musicians from New Orleans, created to preserve the musical heritage of the Mississippi Delta.
Another group performing at Jazz San Javier will be the “Fusion Experience Quartet,” a quartet led by Italian guitarist Ciro Manna, featuring renowned musicians such as drummer Dave Weckl, bassist and singer Richard Bona, and pianist Michael Lecoq, who blend jazz, rock, and world music. The duo The War And Treaty will also perform at Jazz San Javier with their unique brand of southern soul, as will the brilliant London duo Young Gun Silver Fox, standard-bearers of soft rock and passionate devotees of the West Coast sound.
The program announced today brings together a select group of prominent women from the current jazz scene, including vocalist Lizz Wright, Camille Thurman, the first woman in thirty years to join the Lincoln Center Orchestra, vocalists Cyrille Aimée, a French artist who blends jazz with French and Caribbean sounds, and the American singer and pianist Nicole Zuraitis. The charismatic multi-instrumentalist Gunhild Carling is also featured in this 28th edition, which will also include Italian vocalist Lara Ferrari and Cuban singer and flautist Amy Gaviria, based in Spain, among others.
Jazz San Javier continues its commitment to jazz from Spain and Europe, featuring prominent artists such as French accordionist Ludovic Beier, Dutch singer Clarence Bekker (born in Suriname), and Italian pianist Luca Filastro. This year's festival prize will go to Spanish bassist Carles Benavent, who will be one of the festival's featured national acts, performing with his trio alongside Raynald Colon on trumpet and Tomasito on dancing and vocals. Guitarist Ximo Tebar, harmonica player Antonio Serrano, trombonist Rafa M. Guillén performing with his group The Jazz Walkers, and pianist Chico Pérez with flamenco singer Manuel Lombo are also part of the Spanish contingent. This is further complemented by pianist and composer Lluís Coloma, who leads a special Jazz San Javier project called “Rockin’ my blues in San Javier,” in which his quintet revisits his 2011 album “Rockin’ my blues in Chicago.”
Jazz will also take to the streets with energetic concerts such as the one offered by the Madrid-based multinational band Soulift, which will open the Festival in Plaza de España on June 26th. The Spanish jazz sextet The Blue Horses will bring the best of jazz to the Tomás Maestre port in La Manga del Mar Menor on July 12th, with American vocalist Suzette Moncrief as a guest artist. The Minor Jazz Collective, founded by Antonio F. Baeza at the San Javier Conservatory of Music, a pioneer in the teaching of jazz and modern music, will play at the Explanada Barnuevo in Santiago de la Ribera on July 19th.
Tickets and season passes will go on sale starting Thursday, April 30th, coinciding with International Jazz Day, at www.comprolaentrada.com. Ticket prices range from €20 to €50, and season passes, including all concerts, will cost €180. The Festival Office, located in Plaza de España, San Javier, will open its doors during the last week of May, in the morning, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.
The mayor of San Javier, José Miguel Luengo, and the councilor for Culture and director of the San Javier International Jazz Festival, David Martínez, today presented the image for the 28th edition of the San Javier International Jazz Festival, created by Oscar Mariné, and a preview of the Festival's program, which will take place from June 26 to July 24, 2026.
The Festival's image changes for the first time in 28 years, shifting from a more figurative style focused on jazz musicians to a more conceptual one. The mastermind behind the change was Óscar Mariné, “one of the most influential graphic designers of the last 50 years and a National Design Award winner,” recalled the Festival Director, David Martínez.
Óscar Mariné, author of iconic works such as the poster for Almodóvar's film, “All About My Mother,” and for Álex de la Iglesia's “The Day of the Beast,” among many other projects, has designed two images: a labyrinth and the silhouette of a male face in Mariné's characteristic style, which complement this year's campaign.
David Martínez highlighted “the powerful, clear, and striking logo and typography of the new design, recognizable as the work of the brilliant designer, both in the silhouette of the face with Afro-American features that represents the origin of jazz, and in the labyrinth, which he imbues with a powerful color palette that transforms the festival into an unforgettable celebration of color.”
Mayor José Miguel Luengo congratulated the management and the team that organizes and The municipally run Festival is launching its 28th edition and reiterated the San Javier City Council's commitment to culture, and in particular to its festivals, "which are a hallmark of San Javier." Luengo highlighted the quality of the preview released today and invited fans to look forward to the full program, which will be announced in a month.
Regarding the program, which will be revealed in its entirety at the end of April, he announced seven concerts, including one by the brilliant guitarist Pat Metheny (July 22), who returns to Jazz San Javier with his latest project, Side Eye III +. There are also premieres, such as that of New York saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman (July 4), who will perform accompanied by the brilliant percussionist Darrell Green and his quartet.
Accordionist Ludovic Beier (July 18), who combines swing and Manouche tradition, will also be at this year's festival with the Montmartre Quartet in an eclectic program that will also feature bands like Young Gun Silver Fox (July 17), the British standard-bearers of "Yacht Rock," who fuse their love for the sound of the American West Coast with 70s pop and soul, presenting their latest album, "Pleasure."
Also British, The Brand New Heavies (July 27) will bring Acid Jazz to Almansa Park, a genre that fuses funk and soul with jazz, and in which they are one of the leading bands, with their first concert at Jazz San Javier. The preliminary lineup announced today also features Spanish artists, including bassist Carles Benavent (July 15), who will be accompanied by musicians such as Roger Mas, Raynald Colom, and Tomasito. Another Spanish musician appearing at this year's Festival is pianist and composer Chico Pérez (July 18), from Jaén, considered the successor to Chano Domínguez. He will be accompanied by a quintet and the extraordinary flamenco singer Manuel Lombo.
The preliminary program for the San Javier International Jazz Festival, announced today by its director, David Martínez, includes among its biggest stars Pat Metheny, considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, who at 71 years old maintains his creative and innovative spirit as vibrant as ever. On this new visit to Jazz San Javier, the winner of more than 20 Grammy Awards in a dozen different categories presents his latest project, Side Eye III +, the final installment of the Side Eye program, a platform to support new generations of musicians who perform new pieces and revisit Pat Metheny's own older works.
One of the highlights for Jazz San Javier will be the debut on the Parque Almansa stage of New York saxophonist, vocalist, and composer Camille Thurman, currently considered one of the most outstanding artists in contemporary jazz. Thurman is known for her ability to combine tenor saxophone with singing without losing her distinctive personality and for a unique style rooted in the legacy and history of jazz. She was the first woman in more than 30 years to be hired full-time as a saxophonist by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, conducted by Wynton Marsalis. On her latest album “Confluence: Vol.1 Alhambra”, which she recorded live during her 2023 Spanish tour, Camille Thurman is accompanied by Darrell Green's quartet.
Another of the great musicians who will be performing next summer at the Almansa Park Auditorium is the French musician Ludovic Beier, one of the world's finest accordionists and a renowned composer. He is characterized by a unique style that blends technique, swing, and the "gypsy" tradition, inspired by Django Reinhardt. A charismatic performer on stage, Ludovic Beier returns to Jazz San Javier with a jazz program that will once again demonstrate his original preference for classic American jazz, accompanied by the Montmartre Quartet.
Young Gun Silver Fox, one of the most interesting groups on the British music scene, will also be part of the Jazz San Javier 2026 lineup. The soft rock group, with influences from 70s pop and soul, and a sound based on the US West Coast style, was formed in 2012 in London by singer-songwriter Andy Platts, founder of Mama'Gun, and Shawn Lee, who has collaborated with artists such as Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse. On their return to Jazz San Javier, they will present their fifth album, "Pleasure" (2025), a critically acclaimed and popular record that opens with the track "Stevie & Sly," a clear statement of intent with which they pay homage to two of the greats of the 70s, Stevie Wonder and Sly & The Family Stone.
Among the Spanish artists featured at this year's festival is bassist Carles Benavent, a leading figure in jazz fusion since the beginning of his career. He will perform with his trio, accompanied by trumpeter Raynald Colom and singer and dancer Tomasito. Benavent will lead a concert in which he will once again demonstrate his status as Spain's finest jazz and flamenco bassist, honed over many years with Paco de Lucía as a member of his group, with whom he recorded five albums, and with pianist Chick Corea, with whom he toured and recorded another four albums.
Another Spanish artist will be Chico Pérez, a pianist and composer from Jaén, who follows in the footsteps of Chano Domínguez and Dorantes as one of the most prominent figures in the new flamenco jazz movement. With several albums, shows, and performances at festivals both in Spain and abroad, Chico Pérez is establishing himself as one of the rising stars of Spanish jazz since releasing the album "Gruserías" in 2019, a tribute to the great American jazz pianist Dave Grusin.
Among the new additions to the program is The Brand New Heavies, a British acid jazz and alternative hip hop group founded in London in 1985. The Brand New Heavies were one of the pioneering bands of Acid Jazz, a musical genre that emerged in London in the late 1980s, fusing elements of funk and soul, jazz, and disco. The band was formed by three friends from Ealing, London: drummer and vocalist Jan Kincaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, and bassist and keyboardist Andrew Levy, who were soon joined by American singer N'Dea Davenport. The band achieved great success in the 1990s and continues to this day, experiencing changes in its lineup, while maintaining its retro essence and remaining active within the current music scene, frequently collaborating with younger rappers and producers.
The rest of the program will be announced at the end of April, when season tickets and individual tickets for the 28th San Javier International Jazz Festival are also scheduled to go on sale.
