Jazz, summer, festivals -- it's an equation we've seen on many occasions. We imagine jazz festivals like a crowded square, a stadium, a beach or a show that is made anywhere. In most cases, well-endowed with public money, the great festivals that intend and believe to bring high level artists. Unpopular festivals, from the point of charity of local musicians to the price of tickets.

There is also a way to oppose this festival in the Jazzaharrean of the old town of Vitoria-Gasteiz. 11 years ago, the festival emerged from the union of several bars from the canton of Asisko Frantzisko, as a more popular alternative to the elitism that took place in early July at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival. It's more popular because concerts are done in bars or on the street, because you don't have to pay entrance fees, and because they're musicians from the environment that you don't see on posters from other festivals.

I'm going to confess that I've always been surprised by this phenomenon of jazz festivals. How he's able to see a concert throughout the year, let alone a jazz concert to move people who aren't approaching en masse. And that mass movement has also affected Jazzahean, who has often not been able to get into the concerts.

This year’s edition kicked off at the Parral bar with the concert of the Tempora group. They are songs closer to pop, albeit with a jazz touch. In addition, there are known names in the group: For example, Hasier Oleaga or Juantxo Zeberio. In 2015, most of the songs of the work El Nuevo Mundo, composed by Harkaitz Cano and Karlos Linazasoro, were performed.

The Cosmosoul, for their part, acted on July 5 at the Parral bar, and although we were not able to enter the bar, from the bar atrium we realized that these were soul and funk issues.

Luckily, the next day we were able to see the local singer and pianist on the terrace of the Bodegón Gorbea under the name Calzzeta-Sinkey Duo. The voice of Alana Sinkey seemed to us to be truly worthy of being seen, as it filled the same square with great elegance, without the need for bands.

And for elegance, the concert offered by RS Faktor on July 7 at Artium is noteworthy. Rubén Salvador is home and we loved to hear the songs of her new work Akufeno, elegant pieces of contemporary jazz that start from personal experiences.

For two weeks the old part of Vitoria-Gasteiz and its surroundings have been filled with jazz. The concerts, not to mention, have been more, as we have not been able to come to everyone. And I say this with sorrow, because we would see the duo of Dani Pérez and Jordi Bonell, the teammates of the trio Azkaiter Pelox, or the Afrobeat Band Boys, made up of local musicians. Let us hope that we can see it before next year.