3RD EDITION CALELLA HARMÓNICA FESTIVAL
Presentation
CALELLA HARMONICA FESTIVAL is a festival dedicated to the harmonica that brings together the best harmonica players from Europe and around the world.
It combines exhibition, training and improvisation from concerts, masterclasses, conferences, jam sessions and other activities, such as record fairs, book presentations or art exhibitions.
This Festival is the first and only Harmonica Festival held in the Iberian Peninsula and is the meeting point of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean for all harmonica professionals, students and enthusiasts who want to innovate, discover new styles and grow professionally.
GUEST ARTISTS
Jefferson Gonçalves (Brazil)
Jefferson Gonçalves is one of the main references on the harmonica scene in Brazil and over the world. His work has already been praised by several musicians, magazines and international sites.
With its unmistakable and original style, it consolidates its competence and creativity, making authentic mixtures, where different styles unite to create a typical Brazilian atmosphere.
His harmonica makes a mix between the North American black music and the regionalism of the Brazilian northeastern rhythms like forro, baião, xaxado and maracatu, among others.
Jefferson has chosen to make his own sound, and he shows it in his albums and tours around Brazil and several countries, promoting fusions, dialogues and intercessions between genres that seemingly are distinct but have similarities inescapable to attentive listeners.
With all said, the carioca Jefferson Gonçalves stands out as one of the most versatile names in the harmonica world, playing for several audiences, presenting himself in some of the best Blues houses in the world, such as: Teatro San Martin (Buenos Aires), Blue Note (New York), Deep Ellum Blues (Texas) and Bamboo Room (Florida). His curriculum includes presentations in Spain (Madrid and Toledo), Germany (Frankfurt), Chile (Santiago and Valparaíso) and Africa (Senegal).
At the Calella Harmonica Festival he will be joined by Bittencourt Duo, with Julio Bittencourt (drums and percussion) and Luciano Bittencourt (hybrid guitar and acoustic guitar)
The hybrid guitar, an instrument developed by the musician American Charlie Hunter, with 7 strings (3 bass and 4 guitar), adds a unique personality and characteristics, grooving, soloing or harmonizing, all carried out by the same person.
As seasoned players having worked alongside artists such as Paulo Moura, Gilson Peranzzeta, Bernard Fines, Idriss Boudriua, Toninho Ferragutti, François de Lima among others.
Mattias Ernst (Switzerland)
Mattias is a really versatile musician. He plays different styles and has a deep knowledge about alternate tunings: harmonicas that have a different note layout than the standard ones, really interesting when one wants to expand their horizons.
His background as a special needs educator and school director in Switzerland makes him an excellent communicator, the ideal teacher to encourage participants to explore new abilities with the harmonica.
He has studied with big names like Steve Baker, Howard Levy, Joe Filisko, Carlos del Junco, David Barrett and Brendan Power, among others.
He is a regular at the Harmonica Masters and the World Harmonica Championship and has completed the Levels of Achievement Program by David Barrett.
His focus in teaching lies on user-friendly approaches to developing musical concepts and technical skills used for entertaining and stunning solo performances.
Michel Herblin (France)
Michel is capable to make the harmonica flow like a rainbow with arrangements that ignore the limits of this magical instrument.
Virtuosity at the service of elegance and depth of interpretation. They call him “The drafts’ sculptor”! And it is so very true when he sweeps with fine taste blues, country, folk, jazz romance, bossa nova, tango, waltzes with swing, music from colorful regions…
He is accompanied by the distinguished pianist Guillaume Wilmot. An always inspired complicity, filled with flights that will show through the right emotions: the ones that take your soul to an original journey of intense music.
Michel Herblin is unusual character. At one point in his life he was a professional rugby player in one of the best teams in France. He is also a peasant at times and, of course, a harmonica player.
His instrumental history is similar to many others: an explorative passion that led him to discover the masters, big and small, and also wander along music bars.
He dwells on a path between blues and jazz which allows him to develop his own sound, a very personal and melodic style. He has released numerous CD’S, where we can find a great technical mastery juggling with fluency.
Herblin’s sound is not a deep sound, but rather light and airy. Sort of jazz approach to the instrument, but with a close and understandable language for all kinds of audiences.
Awarded with a double gold medal at the World Championships in Detroit (USA) in 1991 (“melodies” and “jazz-blues”), this self-taught musician has often ventured outside the uniqueness of his own repertoire.
He has shared the stage with countless renowned and international artists, including Bill Deraime, Patrick Verbeke, Klaus Blasquiz and Magma, Bill Thomas, The Bunch, Luther Allison and Catherine Sauvage.
Rodrigo G. Pahlem (Uruguay)
With his strong roots from classical music, tango and jazz, and blending tech and the use of acoustic samplers, together with orchestral instruments, Rodrigo achieves a totally innovative balance and texture, a modern, different and unprecedented achievement.
Pahlem’s music has an incredible lyric component, the power of the melodies standing out, altogether distinguished by a harmonic exploration that converges in excellent balanced compositions.
From piano to chromatic harmonica, this multi-instrumentalist has toured the world working alongside many other acclaimed international musicians.
As a composer, when he was only 26, he premiered and recorded his concerto for piano, bandoneon and orchestra: “Conversations with Schopenhauer” with Montevideo’s Philharmonic Orchestra, together with bandoneonist Grammy winner Raul Jaurena.
With several cd’s and dvd’s in the market, this great musician has worked, recorded and played in many venues and festivals around the world with some of the best names in the scene, like Mino Cinelu (Miles Davis, Sting, Madonna, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder percussionist), Nana Vasconcelos (Miles Davis, Pat Metheny and Egberto Gismonti percussionist), Badal Roy (Miles Davis, John Lennon and John MacLaughlin tabla player) or Armand Saballecco (Paul Simon, Stanley Clarke, Sting and Ringo Starr bassist), among many of others.
Víctor Puertas (Catalonia)
He was born October 24th, the same day Saunders Terrell (aka Sonny Terry) did.
Victor Puertas, singer, harmonica player and Hohner Endorser, is one of the main names in the Catalan scene. He takes part of many projects related to blues and African-American music (The Suitcase Brothers, Los Drummonds, Balta Bordoy & The Bad Boys, Koko-Jean & The Tonics…)
He has shared the stage with many great international artist (Gary Primich, Little G Weevil, Steve James, Nathan James, Mark Hummel, Sandra Hall, JT Lauritsen, Steve Wes Weston, Grana Louise, Fred Kaplan, Crystal Thomas, Chris Cain, James Armstrong, Slam Allen, Steve Guyger…). Victor Puertas is well known as one of the best harmonica players in the Spanish blues scene.
Representing a young “new” generation of established artists, Puertas has proven to be a working musician, ambitious and curious, always fascinated by many instruments and styles. Besides being a harmonica player, he works as a piano and organ player.
His playing includes many different styles, highlighting his virtuosity, but not missing any blues feeling at the same time, making the specialized blues audience satisfied.
Additionally, his career grew exponentially after winning the 2º place at the International Blues Challenge 2013 in Memphis, TN, and the 1st place at the 28th Annual Blues Challenge in North Carolina the same year with his brother Santos Puertas, known as The Suitcase Brothers.
He has worked as a session musician in several movies and spots, as a special guests in dozens of albums, playing all over (France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Island, Norway, Italy, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Austria…), offering harmonica workshops and teaching for many years at the Escola-Taller de Blues de Barcelona.
He is one of Jerry Portnoy’s favorite players:
“What Victor brings to the table can’t be taught, learnt or practiced. As the great basketball coach John Wooden said: “You can’t teach height”.
Quim Roca (Catalonia)
Harmonica player and sound therapist, he has been exploring breathing for years as a source of health, well-being and happiness using harmonica, didgeridoo, overtone singing and mouth harp techniques.
He has created BeHarpy in order to share his experience and to present the blues harp as a perfect tool to explore our diaphragm and to improve the capacity and control of our breathing.
Jazz y Mazz is his latest musical project. Together with the great guitar player from Chile Emilio García they blend music, therapy and spirituality.
Stéphane Laidet (France-Catalonia)
Eclectic musician and producer who has composed for years for the international company “Teatro de los Sentidos”. He has played the harmonica since the 80’s in French and English blues bands.
He was a member of Color Humano, a rock band with significant impact in Spain and Latin America. With these formations he creates a genuine style where the harmonica is the engine that propels the group towards a new level of intensity.
His rhythmic technique, his melodic strength and his play with the octaves are inimitable. We add his musical and theatrical background and we obtain a sensory spectacle that sweetly accompanies us like a soundtrack through different parts of the world. Some real, some imaginary.
In Calella he presents his latest album ”À l’oreille” with the ensemble ”Le Petit Comité”, where four musician actors come together to transport from the darkness of the theater to the stage their compositions tinged with curiosity and games.
A meeting of island rhythms, compasses from distant mountain ranges, styles from the arid Andalusian lands.
Music created for Colombian and Andalusian plays and in which elements of jazz have been added. They have performed in Spain, France, Belgium and, through theatre, at the Grec festival in Barcelona, at festivals in Italy, Belgium, France and at the World Theater festival in Shizuoka in Japan.
MASTERCLASES
MASTERCLASSES
CHOOSE YOUR MASTER CLASS
Thursday 12 – 12 p.m
Can Saleta
Harmonica in schools
A concert that brings the richness and versatility of the harmonica to the young audience. Shedding light on its historical-musical origins, exhibiting its models and making a musical journey through all kinds of cultures and countries.
All together in a game where students actively participate. Asking questions, making rhythms, practicing musical memory and guessing the sounds that this fantastic instrument imitates.
Thursday 12 – 5:00 p.m
Can Saleta
Masterclass: Joan Pau Cumellas
Create your own accompaniment by playing with harmonica chords. An option that the instrument gives us and that has fantastic potential to work on songs from the point of view of harmony and rhythm. We will play with a simple and adaptable example at all levels.
Friday 13 – 10:00 h
Can Saleta
Masterclass: Joan Pau Cumellas
Session dedicated to one of the great American harmonica players like Phil Wiggins. Referent of the “Piedmont blues” style. His joyful and virtuosic playing offers us a good catalog of phrases and very interesting rhythmic patterns to expand our repertoire.
Friday 13 – 11:30 h
Beach marquee
Stage workshop
A session where participating harmonica players take the stage alongside professional artists to improve their skills while playing live.
Friday 13:00 – 17:00 h
Can Saleta
Masterclass: Stéphane Laidet (France-Catalonia)
A session that tells us about Latin rhythms and their connection with African-rooted music. Stéphane combines melodic mastery with Latin percussion knowledge creating a unique signature with the harmonica. He already impressed us in the last edition of the festival and now he returns to share some of his knowledge in this area.
CONCERTS
CONCERTS & JAM SESSIONS
CHECK OUR PROGRAM
Concerts and Jam Sessions
Thursday 12 – 8:00 p.m
Beach awning
concert
Joan Pau Cumellas & Valentí Moya Quartet
The perfect occasion to hear the harmonica in such a peculiar place as the Jazz Manouche. Joan Pau is one of the few harmonicists who has explored this field and he does so with the help of one of the most outstanding manouche guitarists in our country, such as Valentí Moya and his trio.
A thoroughly worked out project where guitar and harmonica sincerely show their passion for Swing.
With classics by the virtuoso Django Reinhardt, with popular songs or with his own compositions in a repertoire full of memorable moments.
Thursday 12 – 11:00 p.m
Awning terrace
jam session
Session open to harmonica players from all over and the rest of the festival’s musicians. Participants live the experience of stepping on stage accompanied by a first-rate band. For this occasion we have Valentí Moya on lead guitar, Fran Asensio, rhythm guitar and Oriol González, double bass
Friday 13 – 11:30 h
Beach tent
Stage workshop
A session where participating harmonica players take the stage alongside professional artists to improve their skills while playing live.
Friday 13 – 20:00 h
Beach tent
concert
Rodrigo G. Palhem (Uruguay)
Virtuoso of the chromatic harmonica who is also a pianist and composer. At only 26 years old he already recorded with the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra. With a strong character and imprint coming from classical music, tango and jazz, Pahlem’s music and work crosses soundscapes that clearly refer to Uruguayan culture.
He performs in festivals all over the world together with great global jazz figures such as Nana Vasconcelos, Hadrien Feraud, Mino Cinelu, Badal Roy, Amit Chatterjee and Gregoire Maret, Antonio Serrano, Paquito D´Rivera, Horacio Fumero, Hernán Romero, Emilio Solla, Rosy de Palma, Javier Colina among others.
His performance at the Calella Harmonica Festival will be in duo with the pianist Mariana Airaudo.
Friday 13:00 – 21:00 h
Beach awning
concert
Jefferson Gonçalves & Bitencourt Duo (Brazil)
It is one of the main references within the harmonica in Brazil. Praised both by specialist critics and fellow harmonica players everywhere. His genuine and original style is able to connect regional rhythms such as the “forró”, the “baião”, the “xaxado” or the “maracatu” with the sounds of American black music . He is accompanied on this world tour by the duo Bittencourt: Julio Bittencourt (drums and percussion) and Luciano Bittencourt (hybrid guitar and acoustic guitar). A magnificent occasion to enjoy Brazilian musical creativity in our home.
Friday 1 – 11:00 p.m
Awning terrace
jam session
Session open to harmonica players from all over and the rest of the festival’s musicians. Participants live the experience of stepping on stage accompanied by a first-rate band. For this occasion we have as guests the musicians of the duo Bittencourt plus Miguel Talavera on guitar, Luciano Dell’Aquila on bass and Rubén Badenas on drums.
Saturday 14 – 17:00 h
Can Saleta
Concert (within the masterclass)
Mattias Ernst (Switzerland)
A versatile musician who plays different styles and explores the terrain of alternative tunings: harmonics where the arrangement of the notes varies from the standard model.
Saturday 2 – 9 p.m
Awning of the beach
concert
Michel Herblin (France)
Able to make the harmonica shine like a rainbow with compositions that ignore the limits of this magical instrument. Virtuosity at the service of elegance and depth of interpretation.
They call him “The Sculptor of Air Currents”..! And it really is like this when he tastefully mixes blues, country, folk, jazz romance, bossa nova, tango, waltzes with swing, music from colorful regions… He is accompanied by the distinguished pianist Guillaume Wilmot. An always inspired complicity, populated by flights that will know how to invent the right emotions for you: those that take your soul on an original journey of intense music.
Prices and Registrations
CONGRESS PACK
All master classes, all concerts and Jam sessions
- Entrance to each masterclass: 25 €
- Entrance to each concert: 10 €
- Closing concert: FREE
FULL PACK
Prices includes Hotel + Congress + Festival
395 Eur per person, in a room for individual use
€325 per person, in a double room.
The price includes 4 days and 3 nights staying in Hotel *** (Hotel Miami) with breakfast and lunch included with water and wine, in a double room. Personal accreditation and free access to all masterclasses, conferences, tickets to all concerts and a special pass to attend Jam Sessions. The price does not include tourist tax which is payable at the accommodation.