The town of Guadalhorce Valley is a jazz hotspot throughout July

Fans of jazz music will enjoy the 28th instalment of the El Portón del Jazz festival, a well-established gathering that has presented some of the top bands and solo musicians connected to today’s jazz scene. Held in the municipal auditorium (El Portón) in Alhaurín de la Torre, this festival offers all styles of the genre, from New Orleans jazz to ragtime and swing, to bebop and cool jazz.

The music of New Orleans, which originated in African-American communities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, has become a significant form of expression in both traditional and popular songs.

This year’s festival, with a line-up of international artists that balances legendary and emerging talent, begins tonight (Friday), with jazz singer Sarah Dowling. It continues each Friday through July.

Dowling is widely considered to be one of Europe’s leading vocalists. She has Palestinian and Irish roots, and was voted Best Vocalist at the British Jazz Awards of 2019. She began her career as a cellist before becoming a strong and expressive jazz singer.

On Friday 11 July, Luis Guerra and the CMQ Big Band will take to the stage, an ensemble that brings together 17 Cuban and Spanish musicians to pay tribute to the music of Beny Moré, one of the most popular Cuban jazz artists of all time.

Seamus Blake (18th July), a New York-based saxophonist/composer, who is renowned for his bold, modern jazz improvisations, will also perform, as well as the Jonathan Kreisberg quartet (25th July), led by Kreisberg a New York-born guitar player whose style has gained him a large following around the globe.

Tickets are priced at 25 euros. www.mientrada.net