Upcoming Concerts

Felipe Arce - double bass
Guido Baucia - tenor saxophone
Hans Luchs - guitar
Ian Carl - drums

The quartet led by Argentine double bassist Felipe Arce, based in New York, will present music previewing his upcoming album, recorded earlier this year with New York jazz legends such as George Garzone, Francisco Mela and Leo Genovese.

On this occasion, Arce will be joined on his European tour by New York guitarist Hans Luchs, Argentine drummer Ian Carl, based in Mexico City, and Argentine saxophonist Guido Baucia, based in Valencia.

All four musicians have extensive experience as leaders and sidemen, pursuing international careers and performing at renowned jazz clubs and venues around the world.

Gideon Tazelaar - tenor saxophone
Jacob Artved - guitar
Felix Moseholm - double bass
Martin Andersen - drums

Felix Moseholm, Gideon Tazelaar and Jacob Artved, three of the most outstanding talents in European jazz, met in New York, where they spent several years developing their own distinctive and unique group sound under the guidance of legendary saxophonist George Coleman. Their talent has earned the recognition and support of major figures such as Brad Mehldau, Wynton Marsalis and Louis Hayes.

This autumn, they will return to Europe, where they have built an audience that includes both young musicians and long-standing jazz enthusiasts.

Guitarist Jacob Artved and double bassist Felix Moseholm have been friends since childhood in Copenhagen and have played together since the age of 14. After Moseholm moved to New York to study at The Juilliard School, he met Dutch saxophonist Gideon Tazelaar.

When Artved joined them in the city a few years later, the three quickly discovered a deep musical connection. Over the years, they have forged a strong bond, performing together in different formations both in the United States and Europe.

For this tour of Spain in October 2026, they will be joined by Danish drummer Martin Andersen.

Joshua Edelman - piano
Manuel Machado - trumpet
Saúl Santolaria - vocals
Yelsy Heredia - double bass

Veteran pianist Joshua Edelman recreates the style and repertoire of legendary trumpeter Chet Baker, joined by master trumpeter Manuel Machado, the velvety voice of Saúl Santolaria and the magical double bass of Yelsy Heredia.

Mónica Benito - vocals
Rafa Serrano - sax, flute
Adrián Carrio - piano
Sergio Fernández - double bass (5th)
Ander García - double bass (6th)
Miguel Benito - drums

Lady & The Tramps: The New Swing Fever

Lady & The Tramps is a vibrant swing band based in Madrid that has captivated audiences with its unique and energetic style. A quintet featuring vocals, sax, piano, double bass and drums, the band has made a distinctive mark on the Spanish capital’s jazz/swing scene over the past 14 years.

Led by charismatic singer Mónica Benito, Lady & The Tramps has established itself as one of the most prominent groups in Madrid’s swing scene. Their new album, “Seasons”, is a testament to their musical excellence and their ability to blend Latin jazz and swing rhythms in a captivating way.

Chloé Coussot - vocals
Anxo Martínez - trumpet
Sean Clapis - guitar
Daniel “Donny” López - piano
Baldo Martínez - double bass
Fer Lamas - drums

The Velvet Serenades returns to Café Central following the debut of their “swingin’ sweet jazz” project this summer. The sextet — made up of musicians well known on Madrid’s jazz scene, with extensive national and international experience — brings together the melodic sweetness of 1920s sweet jazz with the playful swing of the following decades.

The result is a sophisticated show that envelops the listener in a velvety atmosphere. With their carefully crafted aesthetic, the “Serenaders” promise to make us fall in love all over again, performing a soundtrack in the style of “Midnight in Paris”, featuring French songs and their own arrangements of great swing and romantic jazz classics.

Román Filiú - saxophone
Gastón Joya - double bass
Rodrigo Ballesteros - drums
Iván “Melón” Lewis - piano

With seven albums released, five nominations, and winner of the Latin GRAMMY® for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2021, pianist, composer, and music producer Iván “Melón” Lewis (1974, Cuba) is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation.

Widely recognized for his work with Cuban singer Issac Delgado, “Melón” has carried out remarkable work that has profoundly shaped the concept of piano performance in contemporary Cuban dance music.

Awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Universidad del Sur (Mérida, Mexico), since 2003 “Melón” has led his own group, performing regularly on the world’s most important jazz stages and festivals, sharing the stage and billing with some of the genre’s most prominent figures.

Víctor Puertas - piano, harmonica
Coke Santos - drums
David Salvador - bass
Adrián Costa - vocals, guitar

Adrián Costa, one of the most highly regarded figures on the Spanish blues scene, joins forces with harmonica player and pianist Víctor Puertas to present, for the first time at Central, an authentic blues project rooted in the sound of the 1950s. From the West Coast sound of T-Bone Walker, they will travel to Chicago, plugging the harmonica into a 5-watt amplifier in the style of Little Walter, before moving into an acoustic setting inspired by the rural Mississippi sound of Sonny Terry, always with New Orleans in mind.

A highly entertaining, elegant and appealing concert for blues lovers. The band will perform material from their latest album, recorded live at Café Central, now at the Ateneo’s Cátedra.

Adédèjì Adetayo - vocals, guitar
Gherardo Alessio - piano
Manu Sanz - bass
Akin Onasanya - drums, vocals

YORUBA ODYSSEY

Nigerian singer, guitarist and composer Adédèjì Adetayo presents a powerful fusion of afrobeat, jazz-funk, soul and Yoruba tradition, deeply connected to the sound and energy of Lagos.

Throughout his career, he has shared stages and recording sessions with artists such as Tony Allen, Lionel Loueke, Gene Jackson, Keziah Jones, Paco Sery and Fred Wesley, and has opened concerts for figures including Manu Dibango and Kenny Garrett.

With Yoruba Odyssey, recorded at Lagos’ historic Afrodisia/Decca Studios, Adédèjì returns to his roots with vibrant, sophisticated music full of groove.

Mariano Díaz - piano
Lara Vizuete - vocals
Jose Guereñu - bass
David Antúnez - drums

Mariano Díaz Unplugged offers an intimate acoustic experience at the iconic Café Central. Led by Grammy-nominated pianist Mariano Díaz, the project blends jazz, blues and rock through original compositions with messages of peace and love, designed to connect directly with the listener in a warm and intimate atmosphere.

For this performance, the pianist is joined by an exceptional first-class lineup. Lara Vizuete takes the melodic lead on vocals, backed by an impeccable rhythm section featuring renowned bassist José Guereñu “Guere” and Antúnez on drums, creating a unique musical chemistry on stage.

María Zerpa - vocals
Ana San Juan - clarinet
Irene González - cello
Arturo Ballesteros - piano, composition

Odojazz’s repertoire is based on original compositions by Arturo Ballesteros, Brazilian music, boleros and jazz standards. The detailed and precise arrangements leave little room for improvisation. The instrumentation, with vocals, clarinet, cello and piano interwoven contrapuntally, gives the group a refined and elegant sound, close to chamber music. The quartet blends classical and jazz elements to create a style of great beauty and freshness.

Patxi Pascual - sax
María Zerpa - vocals
Gabriel Szternsztejn - guitar
José Ramón Abella - bass
José San Martín - drums

Madrid-born jazz saxophonist Patxi Pascual is a specialist in wind instruments, including flute, saxophone and ethnic wind instruments. An experienced musician with an extensive career on the concert and festival circuit, Pascual has collaborated with artists such as Paul Wertico (Pat Metheny Group), John Patitucci, Jerry González (one of the pioneers of Latin jazz), Julio Awad, Pepe Rivero, Carmen Linares, Rasha, Marien Hassan, Eliseo Parra, Javier Ruibal and José Antonio Ramos. He has also released several albums both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians.

Such a versatile career would be difficult to understand without Pascual’s early beginnings as a self-taught musician. His musical journey began when he first picked up his brother’s guitar, followed by the flute, his first wind instrument. His fascination with the exotic sounds he discovered during childhood visits to his family in Tangier, together with his curiosity about Latin, Andean, Indian and other world music traditions, led him to discover a wealth of hidden harmonies, combinations and virtuoso musicians — and an improvisational language that he found to be a perfect match for jazz.

Leo Minax - guitar, vocals
Lis Wessberg - trombone
Kaspar Vadsholt - double bass
Borja Barrueta - drums
Steen Rasmussen - piano

Danish pianist Steen Rasmussen and Brazilian singer and guitarist Leo Minax have been playing together in the Steen Rasmussen Quintet for more than 10 years.

The Quintet has released eight albums and has been nominated for a Danish Jazz Grammy and twice for the Danish composers’ award, the Carl Prize. They have toured and recorded in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain and Denmark. Their musical style is a unique blend of Brazilian jazz with a Nordic “touch”. In 2025, the band toured with renowned Brazilian drummer Celso de Almeida, who has played with some of Brazil’s leading artists, including Rosa Passos and Eliane Elias. The result is a first-class Danish-Brazilian dream team.

Leo Minax is one of the most prominent singers and guitarists on the contemporary music scene in Spain, Denmark and Brazil. A highly respected singer-songwriter, he has a natural ability to connect with audiences. Born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, he began his musical career in the same city as the legendary artistic collective Clube da Esquina, performing with Brazilian artists such as Lo Borges and Toninho Horta.

Jim Kashishian - trombone, vocals
Benjamín Mitte - piano
Antonio Domínguez - double bass
Howard Brown - trumpet, vocals
Antonio Calero - drums

La Canal, with its five members, each bringing their own ideas and developing not only a jazz style but also creating their own distinctive musical identity, has enough drive and energy to convey the joy of jazz in almost all its forms. With their wealth of experience, La Canal captures the spirit of jazz perfectly and reinforces their reputation as one of the most established jazz bands in Spain. They simply embody an enviable level of dignity and musical mastery.

Jure Pukl - saxophones
John Escreet - piano
Jonas Westergaard - double bass
Christian Lillinger - drums

A musical imitation of analogue artificial intelligence. Broken, technically sophisticated rhythms, modern lyrical bass lines, powerful saxophone sounds, and unpredictable improvisation make up the language of this new band of old friends.

Their musical expression is a response to AI, as they insist that music is still at its most powerful, beautiful, wild, lyrical, and sensual when performed by musicians in the moment and in front of a live audience.

After releasing his highly acclaimed albums Broken Circles and Melt (Whirlwind Recordings), Jure Pukl, one of Slovenia’s most acclaimed musicians, and his project Analog AI are embarking on a tour to present material from their upcoming album.

Analog AI will be released on UNIT Records on November 28, 2025.

Joaquín Chacón - guitars and effects
Víctor Merlo - electric bass
David Antúnez - drums

This work represents a turning point in Joaquín Chacón’s career. The album consists exclusively of original compositions, with the guitar as the sole protagonist.

Conceived and developed over several years, this is music born from emotion and from the heart, carefully crafted and nurtured to be shared, in search of a communion with the audience that draws them into this dreamlike world.

Dedications, tributes, reworkings of older pieces, and new compositions come together with magical timbral combinations, effects, different instruments, and acoustic and electric colors.

“DREAMLAND” is a journey into unexplored territories of great appeal, conceived to create an atmosphere beyond categories and labels, and one I would like to invite you to experience.

Joaquín Chacón

Pepe Rivero - piano
Gastón Joya - double bass
Shayan Fathi - drums
Special guest:
María Berasarte - vocals

Piano y Trova is a declaration of faith in the musical legacy of Pepe Rivero’s native Cuba and in the ability of that music to transcend borders. Through Rivero’s piano, the trova tradition is revisited and brought into the realms of jazz and classical music.

The project invites audiences to rediscover a lesser-known repertoire such as the old traditional trova, born from both European and African influences. These are pieces that stand between the 19th and 20th centuries, such as “Tristeza” by Pepe Sánchez, dated 1883. It is a great tribute to trova, interpreted with the virtuosity of Rivero’s classical training and the freedom of jazz language.

Audiences will enjoy a very intimate concert featuring special guest María Berasarte, with whom he shares projects such as Delirio and Tribute to Federico García Lorca.

María Berasarte, known as “The Naked Voice,” is a singer acclaimed for her minimalist and deeply emotional interpretations, particularly connected to Portuguese fado, the genre to which she dedicated her first album Todas las horas son viejas, considered by Portuguese critics to be the best fado album recorded by a foreign voice. Throughout her career she has collaborated with renowned international artists and developed projects exploring fado, chanson, and her Basque roots, while currently presenting her latest album ESTADÍA.

Astrid Jones - vocals
Carlos Bratt - guitar
Carlos Soria - bass
Arnaldo Lescay - drums
Denis Bilanin - keyboards

At last, Astrid and the full band arrive at the Cátedra, the Ateneo’s auditorium. Shine means “Shine!” It is a statement of intent. A call to SHINE. With their new album, Astrid Jones & The Blue Flaps invite us to shed light on our personal story, on the things that tell us who we are, and to embrace the beauty and strength that emerge from this awareness.

A unique blend of multiple identities that, musically, translates into a combination of rhythms, harmonies and melodies evoking soul, jazz, reggae and African rhythms, all shaped into an elegant and highly personal sound.

Dida Pelled - vocals and guitar
Fred Nardin - piano and organ
Elam Friedlander - double bass
Mark Whitfield Jr. - drums

Brooklyn-based singer, guitarist, and songwriter Dida Pelled brings her new albums I Wish You Would and I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again to Café Central, accompanied by her incredible band.

She moved to New York at the age of 20 and, while studying at The New School, was discovered by trumpeter and producer Fabio Morgera. Through him, she recorded her debut album, Dida Plays and Sings (Red Records, 2011), featuring Roy Hargrove and Gregory Hutchinson. The album was selected as one of the albums of the year by AllAboutJazz.com.

She subsequently released Modern Love Songs (2015), which significantly expanded her international activity, and A Missing Shade of Blue (Red Records, 2016), an organ trio album with Rodney Green and Luke Carlos O’Reilly.

Pelled regularly performs at leading New York clubs, including Smalls, City Winery, Ornithology, and Dizzy’s Club, and has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. She has also appeared at festivals in Padua, Ottawa, Atlanta, and the Red Sea Jazz Festival.

Jonathan Suazo - sax
Francisco Alcalá - drums
Gastón Joya - bass
Miguel García - piano

Jonathan Suazo is a Puerto Rican saxophonist, composer, and educator whose music connects contemporary jazz with Afro-Caribbean traditions, combining his cultural heritage with an emotional narrative and a wide range of styles within a post-bop and spiritual jazz framework.

In 2023, he was included by the GRAMMYs among the ten most notable emerging jazz artists. That same year, his debut album, Ricano (Ropeadope Records), was recognized by The New York Times as one of the best jazz albums of 2023. His latest release, Ricano Vol. 2 (2026), received a four-star review in DownBeat.

A graduate of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute master’s program, Suazo has received several recognitions for his artistic work and impact on the community, including a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant in 2024 and the WBUR Makers Series Award.

He has collaborated and shared the stage and studio with numerous jazz and Latin music artists, including Miguel Zenón, Terri Lyne Carrington, David Sánchez, Danilo Pérez, Joe Lovano, Paoli Mejías, iLÉ, Jon Secada, and Pedro Capó.

Chiara Pancaldi - vocals
Darryl Hall - double bass
Sebastián Chames - piano
Daniel García Bruno - drums

A project led by Italian singer and songwriter Chiara Pancaldi, one of the most recognized voices in contemporary European jazz. She studied at the University and Conservatory of Bologna and has performed at leading festivals and clubs such as Umbria Jazz, London Jazz Festival, Blue Note Milano, Porgy & Bess, and Paris’s Sunset Sunside.

Chiara has collaborated with prominent international musicians including Cyrus Chestnut, Kirk Lightsey, Jeremy Pelt, Joe Farnsworth, John Webber, and Darryl Hall. Her music combines jazz standards, original compositions, and contemporary arrangements with influences from modern jazz and Brazilian music, distinguished by the elegance of her interpretation, expressive depth, and the interaction between the musicians.

Julia Perminova - piano
Roberto Nieva - sax
Josef Zeimetz - double bass
Luis Possollo - drums

Julia Perminova is a Russian jazz pianist whose music explores the concept of freedom through compositions inspired by her personal experiences and life journey. Her musical background combines contemporary jazz, improvisation, and writing marked by a strong emotional dimension.

Her band for this performance brings together Roberto Nieva on alto saxophone, Josef Zeimetz on double bass, and Luis Possollo on drums. Perminova, Zeimetz, and Possollo form a trio that has been working together for several years and has performed at venues across the international scene. Nieva joins as a guest; the two previously played together in Focusyear Band 22 in Basel and have since collaborated in a quartet setting.

The repertoire draws from her album Freedom, recorded in 2022 at Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg, Germany, a work conceived as a musical diary centered on freedom, its limitations, and the search for meaning in difficult circumstances. Her compositions reflect experiences including her time working on cruise ships, her studies in Amsterdam and Berlin, the pandemic, and her frequent moves between cities.

Mason Keck - guitarra, voz
Seth Aldridge - guitarra, voz
Will Lowe - batería

Jive Mother Mary no es ajena al trabajo duro. Es el tipo de banda que se forja a través de profundas amistades, largas horas en carretera y un sinfín de horas perfeccionando su técnica en bares llenos de humo. Inmersos en la tradición del rock ’n’ roll, Jive Mother Mary ofrece un sonido cargado de sangre, sudor y alma, de esos que se te quedan dentro como una buena comida de domingo. Procedentes de Burlington, Carolina del Norte, la banda fue formada por Mason Keck y Seth Aldridge y, desde entonces, ha desarrollado un sonido propio, auténtico y arraigado en sus orígenes.

Jive Mother Mary ha compartido escenario con bandas y artistas legendarios como ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Leon Russell, Foreigner, .38 Special, The Drive-By Truckers, The Wailers, Buddy Guy, Black Stone Cherry, Whiskey Myers y Blackberry Smoke, actuando en 35 estados y 9 países. Cada vez que cogen sus instrumentos, Mason Keck, Seth Aldridge y Will Lowe se proponen mostrar exactamente lo que sienten, dejándolo todo sobre el escenario en sus conciertos de gran energía. Su particular forma de entender el rock ’n’ roll suena fresca, pero al mismo tiempo encaja de manera natural junto a las bandas clásicas que todos conocemos y apreciamos.

Escucha a Jive Mother Mary en tu plataforma de streaming favorita o acércate a uno de sus conciertos: quizá acabes de descubrir a tu nueva banda favorita. ¡Nos vemos en la carretera!

Ulf Wakenius - guitar
Manrico Seghi - organ
Esteve Pi - drums

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL JAZZ MADRID - JAZZ CON SABOR A CLUB

Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius, one of the leading figures in European jazz, comes to Café Central with his Organ Trio, accompanied by organist Manrico Seghi and drummer Esteve Pi.

Wakenius gained enormous international recognition during his ten years as the guitarist with the Oscar Peterson Quartet, from 1997 to 2007. Throughout his career, he has shared the stage and studio with some of the great names in jazz, including Ray Brown, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Pat Metheny, and Michael Brecker.

His career as a leader has developed alongside these collaborations, with a discography that reflects his distinctive voice as a guitarist and his ability to move between different jazz traditions.

He now presents a guitar, organ, and drums format, a combination with a long tradition in jazz, in a trio conceived for dialogue, improvisation, and swing.

Nick Hempton - tenor sax
Joan Fort - guitar
Gerard Nieto - organ
Esteve Pi - drums

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL JAZZ MADRID - JAZZ CON SABOR A CLUB

Australian saxophonist Nick Hempton, based in New York since 2004, is a veteran of the New York jazz scene and a musician particularly associated with soul jazz and hard bop. Influenced by masters such as Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt and Cannonball Adderley, he has developed a sound marked by swing, groove and a strong personal voice.

Throughout his career, he has worked with leading jazz names such as Roy Hargrove, Peter Bernstein, Slide Hampton, James Carter, Joe Magnarelli and Jeremy Pelt, as well as collaborating with artists from other areas of popular music.

His special connection with the Hammond organ was showcased in Night Owl (2019), a quartet with Peter Bernstein, Kyle Koehler and Fukushi Tainaka that captures the spirit of the classic organ groups of the 1960s. The project continued with Slick, released in 2021.

At Café Central, Hempton presents this new lineup with Joan Fort, Gerard Nieto and Esteve Pi, combining tenor sax, guitar, organ and drums in a soul jazz, swing and hard bop setting, with groove as a central element.

Joshua Edelman - piano
Hans Mantel - double bass
Jimmy Castro - drums

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL JAZZ MADRID - JAZZ CON SABOR A CLUB

“It is difficult to describe in just a few words what Barry Harris meant to the history of jazz and to me personally. A dear friend and teacher, he was one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century and the first educator to develop a sound methodology for unveiling the secrets of the language of jazz and teaching others how to play it. Barry was a living example of mastery and generosity, teaching us so much about jazz and about life beyond music. I was fortunate enough to meet Barry in New York in the 1970s and to attend his classes regularly. In 1986, I managed to bring him to Spain, and from that moment on, Café Central became the headquarters for decades of Barry Harris’s joyful and passionate performances in Madrid.

Hans Mantel and Jimmy Castro were his faithful companions at hundreds of concerts from the 1980s onwards. As a tribute, we want to remember and recreate the joy, emotion and swing of those nights we shared, and thank Barry for everything he gave to so many jazz lovers throughout his life.” (Joshua Edelman)

Kirk MacDonald - tenor sax
Fabio Miano - piano
To be confirmed - bass
Esteve Pi - drums

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL JAZZ MADRID - JAZZ CON SABOR A CLUB

Canadian saxophonist Kirk MacDonald and Italian pianist Fabio Miano come together in a quartet deeply rooted in the tradition of jazz, swing, bebop and hard bop.

With more than thirty years of experience and over fifty recordings as a leader and sideman, MacDonald has worked and recorded with musicians such as Kenny Wheeler, Eddie Henderson, Harold Mabern, Tom Harrell, Peter Bernstein, Jack DeJohnette, Mike Stern, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider, Dave Grusin and Danilo Pérez, among many others.

Fabio Miano, born in Italy and with a long career in Spain, has shared the stage with figures such as Steve Lacy, Bobby Watson, Pat LaBarbera, Gary Bartz, Grant Stewart, Eric Alexander, Jeanne Lee, Scott Hamilton, Joe Magnarelli and James Moody, while also developing an important career as a leader.

MacDonald and Miano have maintained a long-standing musical relationship dating back to their encounters and performances in Spain. On this occasion, they will be joined by Toño Miguel on double bass and Esteve Pi on drums.

Kirk MacDonald & Fabio Miano Quartet brings together four highly experienced musicians in a project based on swing, improvisation and the tradition of great jazz.

Duane Eubanks - trumpet
Sebastián Chames - piano
Elam Friedlander - double bass
Daniel García Bruno - drums

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL JAZZ MADRID - JAZZ CON SABOR A CLUB

Duane Eubanks. The jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger and producer is a multifaceted force whose fiery bursts and distinctive sweet sound take his trumpet into a musical space that defies categorization. A raw soul and passion that strongly reflect his Philadelphia roots can be heard on his two most recent albums as a bandleader: Things of that Particular Nature (2015, Sunnyside) and DE3 - Live at Maxwell’s (2016, Sunnyside).

“Duane is one of my all-time favorite horn players. One of the most honest musicians I have ever met. He plays from the heart, and he comes from an incredibly rich musical family tree.” — Roy Hargrove, GRAMMY-winning trumpeter.

Duane studied jazz in master classes at Temple University with legendary Dr. Billy Taylor. He went straight to New York, where great pianist Mulgrew Miller invited him to join his ensemble, Wingspan. Acclaimed bassist and bandleader Dave Holland called on him to play with his big band on two GRAMMY-winning albums. Eubanks became a highly sought-after trumpet player, recording and performing with Elvin Jones, John Hicks, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Randy Brecker, Avery Sharpe and Nicholas Payton.