The miracle of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band

My love for jazz and teaching led me back in 2006 to create a project that would combine both.

This is how the Sant Andreu Jazz Band came about, a non-profit project whose aim is to bring jazz to young people (aged between 6 and 21) through the formation of a big band with musicians of different ages and levels.

All the members of the band receive guidance, guidelines, indications, lessons and supervision of their progress. And all this without any financial contribution from their families. There are also many hours of rehearsal in the Jazz House to achieve the results that can be seen throughout these more than 17 years, both for the great musicians who have passed through the band, as well as for the various recordings we have made over the years.

One aspect that seemed relevant to me from the beginning was to be able to document on video the work done, as it could be a useful tool both in the training of future musicians, as well as to appreciate the progress of each of the members of the band. As a result, more than 1000 videos are available on my Youtube channel, most of which are associated with the albums we have released over the years:

The Jazzings de la Sant Andreu (13 volumes, on 25 CDs).

The Joan Chamorro Presenta collection, which will have 19 discs when the one currently being recorded as a presentation by Koldo Munné is released.

The arrangers’ collection, of which we have already released three discs, and the fantastic "Remembering Toni Belenguer", in which almost all the musicians who were part of the SAJB at that time took part.

Another aspect to highlight is the contact that the members of the band have with internationally renowned musicians (Scott Robinson, Dick Oatts, Joel Frahm, Scott Hamilton, Joe Magnarelli, Dena Derose, Ken Peploswky, Bobby Gordon, Jesse Davis, Wycliffe Gordon, Terell Stafford, John Allred, Jon-Erik Kellso...).

The recordings, the arrangements, the edition of the CDs, the photographic reports, the travel for the concerts, the participation of the soloists of international level, suppose a considerable cost. To which must be added the maintenance of the space and the instruments, music stands and various accessories necessary for the normal functioning of the band. Not to mention the management costs of the non-musical aspects, and all the dedication on my part as director (classes, rehearsals, research of themes, programmes in the different concerts, work on the CDs, etc.) and as the person who makes the organisational decisions.

During our 17 years of existence, in which more than 80 young musicians have passed through the band, we have been able to finance our activities thanks, basically, to the concerts, in addition to the sale of records and the income from the viewing of the videos, which have served, for the most part, to cover the production costs exclusively.

We have also created the Jazzing Festival, now in its 10th edition, which includes the Jazz Education Stage (sixth edition).

Funding from private, corporate and institutional contributions has enabled us to finance the different editions of Jazzing (especially the institutional ones) and the production of some of the albums.

During the pandemic, all concerts were cancelled, which had a serious impact on all musical activities in general, and normality has not yet returned. In fact, the number of the Band's concerts has dropped considerably, with the result that our activities are beginning to be endangered.

This is why we feel the need to open the door to possible collaborations, both personal and institutional, through donations.

I have always believed that it has been a miracle to be able to do what we have been doing for 17 years, without any kind of help, except for the contributions of some passionate fans of our project and the various calls for crowdfunding via Verkami.

In the text of our first CD, JAZZING 1, I wrote that the Sant Andreu Jazz Band was a miracle.

Now, a few years later, I still think so, and with even more reason.

The project, which has become a world reference at a pedagogical level, as well as in other aspects, is a miracle.

Help us to be able to guarantee its future.