Antonio Serrano: from Bach to Rhapsody in Blue on a harmonica San Javier Jazz 2023

The master of the harmonica first performed in the festival 25 years ago

Even those who have watched multiple concerts by virtuoso artist Antonio Serrano had nothing to complain about following his performance at the 25^th edition of the San Javier Jazz festival as he showcased his extraordinary versatility with a programme of “classical music” which had been “all jazzed-up” as his latest project.

In his first performance at the festival he was an invited guest of Argentinian guitarist Luis Salinas, and has entertained music fans with excursions into the profound depths of flamenco, soulful blues, the purest jazz and of course, the ecstatic exuberance of tangos and boleros in previous editions.

But on this occasion he took concertgoers on a centuries-long tour through some of the greatest pieces of classical music ever written, moving smoothly between the sultry Rhapsody in Blue of George Gershwin to the Air in D major (Air on the G string as it is better known) of Bach, with a stop-off at Schubert and a brief flirtation with Beethoven en-route.

Of course, none of the pieces were performed as they were originally intended, but were given a jazzy shake-up which would probably have delighted their composers had they themselves been exposed to the versatility of modern music; would Mozart have been a jazz composer had he lived today or would he have pounded the stage as a heavy rock artist? Probably not even worth mentioning such idle speculation to an artist as versatile as Antonio Serrano!

Lineup

Antonio Serrano: harmonica.

Albert Sanz: piano.
Toño Miguel: double bass.
Esteve Pi: drums.