JAZZ RESURRECTION FUNERAL
On April 16 at 5 PM, musicians, customers, former staff, and friends are invited to take part in a public farewell: a Jazz Funeral and Resurrection that is, in itself, an act of transformation. Anyone who wishes may join, and musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments. Inspired by the tradition of New Orleans marching bands, the procession will depart from Plaza del Ángel and make its way through the streets to the new location on Santa Catalina Street. Through music, this collective ritual will gather the energy, history, and memory of the old venue and symbolically carry them forward, freeing Café Central from its physical ties to that space and allowing it to exist as a living, unbound project. That energy will be placed in the Ateneo, where the spirit of Café Central will be protected and allowed to keep growing.
On April 15, the historic Café Central will close the doors of its current venue to begin a new chapter at the Ateneo de Madrid. It will be a musical farewell: that same day, the final concert at the current location will take place, led by Miguel Malla Project, a group that will also inaugurate the new space at Café Central – Ateneo on April 16, as a symbol of continuity and renewal.
This transition represents not an ending, but an emancipation and a rebirth. In the year marking the centenary of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Café Central begins a new chapter while remaining firmly committed to jazz and live music. At its new home in the Ateneo de Madrid, the goal is to continue its regular programming of two concerts every night of the year, offering the people of Madrid and its visitors the chance to end their day with live music. In parallel, several nights will be programmed at La Cátedra del Ateneo, a historic auditorium with exceptional acoustics that will allow for an expanded artistic offering in a unique setting.
For this new phase, performances are already confirmed by musicians who have been part of Café Central’s history, such as Joshua Edelman, Jorge Pardo, Guillermo McGill, Cecilia Krull, Lluís Coloma, Sheila Blanco, Federico Lechner, and Ignasi Terraza.
Until then, Café Central will continue celebrating its final nights at the current venue with concerts by great artists and close collaborators, including Manuel Machado, Canal Street Jazz Band, Pepe Rivero, and Iván “Melón” Lewis.
Café Central bids farewell to a space that has been a landmark for decades, but does so by affirming its identity beyond a physical location—now free from its former setting and looking toward the future, reaffirming its vocation as a meeting place for music and for those who live it every night.
April 16
Time: 5 PM
Location: Outside Café Central, Plaza del Ángel 10
Free admission
