One could say that Spanish jazz has fully embraced its own flamenco tradition. Nowadays musicians lovingly merge both styles into a new sound. A shining example is double bassist Manel Fortià. With his quintet Libérica he combines traditional Catalan song, flamenco and jazz. The group features the melancholic voice of Pere Martínez and the empathic improvisations of saxophonist Eva Fernández, backed by a driving rhythm section.

After a season of living in New York and having played with great jazz icons such as Dave Liebman, Ari Hoenig and Chris Cheek, Manel Fortià decided to return to his homeland and explore the traditional Catalan repertoire. With Libérica, he seeks common ground between traditional Catalan song and flamenco, using jazz as a conducting vehicle, and following the philosophy that the renewal of folklore is necessary and helps to keep it alive.

EJN Green Pilot tour

Libérica takes part in the Green Pilot Tour, a project of Europe Jazz Network (EJN) co-financed by the European Union under the Creative Europe program 2022-2024. The goal of the Green Pilot Tour is sustainability, fair compensation, inclusiveness and gender balance in concert tours.

Pere Martínez vocals, Eva Fernández saxophone, Max Vilavecchia piano, Manel Fortià bass, Oriol Roca drums