CubaPLUS Magazine

The Young Jazzists Contest (Jojazz) will celebrate its XX edition from November 16 to 19 in different spaces of this capital, with a tight schedule of concerts and jam sessions, the organizers announced. Created with the aim of promoting the interpretation and jazz creation from the new generations, the event has this year with more than thirty participants who aspire to prizes in the minor and major solo performance categories, small and large format interpretation, and composition. The rest of the program is completed by the opening and award ceremonies, the concerts of the winners of previous editions, a practical class and an improvisation meeting. The inaugural day, scheduled for the 16th at 20:00 local time, at the Bertolt Brecht Theater, runs to the account of the Young Jazz Band directed by maestro Joaquín Betancourt, a group that has been established for a decade and since then plays a leading role in the appointment. The group will be accompanied by young musicians Yanet Valdés, Yissi García, Emir Santacruz, Yasek Manzano, and Alejandro Falcón, among other artists, all Jojazz laureates. Another important concert will be that of the troubadour Raúl Torres, set for the night of the 18th at the Teatro Mella, which entitled Todo mi universo, brings together young jazz players of notable trajectory. The venues, in addition to the Tito Junco and Mella theaters, will be the Avenida Room, where the contest will take place, the Jardines del Mella and the Café Miramar. More than 140 musicians will participate in the program of the meeting, whose term of admission will be open until November 15, the organizers pointed out. Organized by the National Center of Popular Music and the Cuban Institute of Music, the Jojazz has become the best opportunity for young musicians, especially those enrolled in the Cuban system of artistic education, to show their interpretative and compositional qualities.