The JazzMadrid 2026 festival continues its program this week in Madrid, with events that began last Friday and will take place until October 29, with an agenda that brings together artists such as Elles Bailey, Clara Peya, Kat Eaton and Ibrahim Maalouf, as well as contemporary jazz proposals, Cuban music and club sessions in different venues and theaters of the city, as reported by the City Council in a statement.
The Villanos del Jazz program welcomed Elles Bailey last Friday, a British singer, songwriter and pianist who has developed a consolidated career in blues, soul and rock, driven by a raspy voice and growing international projection. The artist arrives in Madrid with her recent work Can't Take My Story Away, with which she reinforces her presence on the European scene.
Also on Friday, a new installment of Jazz con Sabor a Club brought the Manrico Seghi Trio to Café El Despertar. Born in Florence, organist and pianist Manrico Seghi has established himself as one of the most recognized European figures of the contemporary Hammond organ. Together with Lucio Lupano, on guitar, and Juanma Barroso, on drums, he will propose a repertoire that dialogues with the tradition of masters such as Joey DeFrancesco and with a more current vision of organ jazz.
In parallel, the Jazz Círculo series programmed Lucía Rey Quartet at the Fernando de Rojas theater of the Círculo de Bellas Artes. The Madrid-born pianist, one of the most outstanding creators of current Spanish jazz, will offer a performance focused on improvisation, contemporary composition and the artistic personality that defines her project.
Kat Eaton, Clara Peya and Twanguero, protagonists of Saturday
Saturday 24 will be marked by the presence of Kat Eaton, one of the most prominent emerging voices of British soul. Her proposal combines soul, blues and jazz, supported by intense international activity and collaborations with artists such as Gregory Porter, The Teskey Brothers or Paul Carrack. In Madrid, she will present for the first time the songs from her new album, What Happens Now.
One of the highlights of the week will arrive that same Saturday with the presentation of Nuca, the new show by Clara Peya, at the Teatro Albéniz. Pianist, composer and stage creator, the Catalan artist has developed a career difficult to categorize, in which avant-garde jazz, chamber music, electronics, song and performing arts coexist.
With fourteen albums released and a permanent will to experiment, Clara Peya has become one of the most singular voices in the Spanish music scene. In this proposal, she will be accompanied by Didak Fernández, Adri González, Enric Verdaguer, Carmen Aciar and Will Mas.
The same night, Diego García “Twanguero” will return to the capital to offer one of his few concerts in Spain during 2026. The guitarist will also celebrate his 50th birthday on the stage of Sala Villanos, accompanied by his band and reviewing some of the milestones of a career marked by the mix of American roots, Latin sounds and instrumental virtuosity.
The early hours of Saturday to Sunday will be completed with a session by Sadar Bahar, accompanied by Buitre and DJ Rchlbraü, a proposal oriented to club culture and the crossovers between disco, soul, funk and dance music.
Cuban rhythms and active listening in the final stretch of the week
On Sunday, October 25, Tarquim and Los Metales Preciosos will take over at Sala Villanos with a formation that explores the richness of Cuban music from a contemporary perspective. Salsa, son, timba, guaguancó, bolero, cha-cha-cha and Latin jazz converge in a proposal that highlights original compositions and a powerful brass section. The group will take advantage of the event to present their new album in Madrid.
The week will also include a new session of Jazz Kissa, dedicated to Blue Note Records and led by Roberto Tempo, an invitation to active listening around one of the fundamental record labels in the history of jazz.
The program of JazzMadrid 2026 will culminate on Thursday, October 29 with the performance of the French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf at La Riviera, where he will premiere the songs from The Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2.
Considered one of the great international figures of contemporary jazz, Ibrahim Maalouf has developed a career that transcends stylistic and geographical borders. In his music, jazz, oriental tradition, rock and global music converge, an approach that has led him to perform on some of the main international stages and to collaborate with artists such as Sting, Wynton Marsalis, Salif Keita or Angélique Kidjo. His new project delves into the dialogue between Mediterranean sounds, jazz and Latin American rhythms.
