As a festival, “Música al Raso” is born as a musical event that kicks off the summer concert season, and aims to democratize the access of the Zaragozan society to different genres and musical styles, from jazz, soul, rock, folk, alternative country and samba fusion, funk, pop, trap… This year will come to Zaragoza outstanding international figures such as Rufus Wainwrigth, Wilco, Cat Power, Fatoumata Diawara, Adriana Calcanhotto, and national artists like Alizzz or Kiki Morente, for the public to enjoy in the Plaza San Bruno and in the Winter Garden of the José Antonio Labordeta Park. It is organized by the Zaragoza City Council, through the Zaragoza Cultural Municipal Society, and is sponsored by IberCaja and Ambar.
Artists with international prestige
The Brazilian singer and composer, Adriana Calcanhotto, will be in charge of starting the cycle of concerts on May 19 in the Plaza San Bruno. The Brazilian artist, who is visiting Zaragoza during her European tour, is considered one of the most important composers of contemporary Brazilian popular music due to her variety of musical styles. In fact, her work has never been defined by one style and has always shown a great musical breadth, having explored different music such as bossa nova, samba or Brazilian funk.
Considered one of the most vital champions of modern African music, the singer and actress Fatoumata Diawara will present her new work, Fenfo, to be released on May 25, at St. Bruno Square on June 3. Clearly experimental, yet respectful of her roots, Fenfo is an album whose compositions cover a wide range of African genres, ancient and modern, from slow-burning blues, to funk blast, Afro-pop and rock energy.
On June 16, Miss Bolivia and Frente Cumbiero will give rhythm to the night at the Jardín de Invierno. Miss Bolivia is Paz Ferreyra’s cultural project that fuses urban music with styles that bring the freshness and provocation of digital music with the power of native rhythms and elements. She has scored films and documentaries, including Focus, Sky Rojo, Desmadre, La Leona, Bones, Alanis, Banda de Chicas and Montecastro. And Frente Cumbiero is a band recognized as the spearhead of the new Colombian cumbia movement and one of the forerunners of Latin fusion music. It is led by composer and producer Mario Galeano Toro, also a founding member of Ondatrópica and Los Pirañas.
The American alternative rock band Wilco will be on June 21 at the Winter Garden with the concert of their album Ode to Joy. The album released in 2019 features a unique rhythmic lineup and minimalist instrumentation, with lyrics at once observant, hopeful, morbid, tolerant and abstract. Wilco stands out for the diversity of styles, from rock evolving into folk rock, through power pop, avant-garde or experimental.
American-Canadian songwriter Rufus Wainwright will stop in Zaragoza on June 30 during his European tour. Known for his engaging performances, Wainwright will present live and accompanied by his new band, his album Unfollow the Rules, nominated for a Grammy in 2020. We will be able to enjoy the concert at the Winter Garden.
Another of the big names included in the lineup that will close the 2022 edition of Música al Raso on July 2 is Chan Marshall, better known artistically as Cat Power. The American composer and singer-songwriter of folk and alternative country music has explored many musical genres throughout her long career, always seeking minimalism. On this occasion she will present, at the Winter Garden, her latest album of covers, Covers, Covers is a collection of deeply felt, intimate and completely holistic songs that are intended to be a healing balm for artist and listener alike.
New genres and experimentation
“Música al Raso” also bets on artists with projection, as is the case of Kiki Morente or Alizzz, two stars that stand out in recent years in their respective genres for experimentation and the search for innovative sounds.
The young singer from Granada and promise of new flamenco, Kiki Morente, will present his second album, El Cante, on June 9 at the Plaza San Bruno. The youngest of the Morente family, son of singer Enrique Morente and dancer Aurora Carbonell, and brother of Estrella and Soleá, innovates in the art of traditional flamenco singing and reflects on the current times for this genre, as well as the possibilities offered by music to create and compose, from the desire to make something unique and universal. Kiki Morente dares to investigate and experiment with a more electronic sound.
The producer and singer Alizzz, recognized for his ability to mix styles such as pop, house, R&B, trap, dancehall, Afrobeat and reggaeton, will present his first album, Tiene que haber algo más, on June 26 at the Jardín de Invierno, after a year of releasing singles with national references such as C. Tangana and Amaia, for whom he has also composed or produced works. He has also composed songs for Rosalía, Becky G, Aitana, Lola Índigo, among others. Alizzz has received three Latin Grammy Awards in the last year: Best pop-rock song for Hong Kong (C. Tangana and Andrés Calamaro), Best alternative song for Nominao (C. Tangana and Jorge Drexler) and Best album recording engineering for El Madrileño.
Skydrvg: Pedro LaDroga and $kyhook (date and place to be determined) will also be at Música al Raso as part of their nationwide concert tour. Skydrvg 3.0 (Casa de Brujas) is the joint project of Pedro LaDroga and $kyhook: one of the most charismatic minds of the urban scene and the producer of some of the most important hits of the national scene, join forces for the third time to present their third full-length album.
The program of “Música al Raso 2022” will include some more concerts of artists to be confirmed.
Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased at compraentradas.zaragoza.es. Access to the concerts in Plaza San Bruno is free and without ticket reservation, while in the Winter Garden there are four paying concerts (Rufus Wainwright, Wilco, Cat Power and Alizzz), ranging from 12 to 25 euros.
Jardín de Invierno ticket prices
Wilco 20 € advance/ 25 € box office
Alizzz 12 € advance/ 17 € box office
Rufus Wanwright 15 € advance/ 20 € box office
Cat Power 15 € advance/ 20 € box office
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
