150,000 spectators attended the almost 100 concerts offered by the 43th Heineken Jazzaldia that has taken place in San Sebastian between the 22 and the 27 of July, according to the provisional balance sheet made by the Director Miguel Martin this morning at a press conference.

This number represents a significant increase on the 135,000 strong crowd from last year’s edition.

The free concerts at the Green Stage of the Zurriola Beach were naturally the most crowded: Bobby McFerrin with the Orfeon Donostiarra, Caravan Palace, the Gerald Toto-Richard Bona-Lokua Kanza trio, The Waifs, Benjamin Biolay, The Mungolian Jet Set, Kings of Convenience, Hocus Pocus, Asa, Signa and DaPuntoBeat.

The big names of this year’s edition, Keith Jarrett, Paolo Conte, Diana Krall and Return to Forever, and an exultant Liza Minnelli filled the audience with enthusiasm at the Kursaal Auditorium.

The music that we might call as orthodox jazz filled the Kursaal Chamber Hall and left for the record some extraordinary concerts including Ahmad Jamal (Donostiako Jazzaldia 2008 Award), David Murray, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Barron, Jean Luc Ponty and Soft Machine Legacy, and the experimental Anthony Braxton. The Heineken Jazzaldia has been the only European Festival scheduling Braxton for this summer.

The Victoria Eugenia Theatre has become a versatile space hosting both listening concerts and also dancing concerts when the seats are replaced by a platform. Johnny Winter, Maceo Parker, Steve Coleman, Defunkt and Bugge Wesseltoft have been the stars of this stage. The Victoria Eugenia Theatre has also hosted an innovative proposal: Bertsoa & Jazz, bringing together five Basque jazz musicians with four bertsolaris (popular Basque poets who sing improvising about a theme).

The White Night (called Gaubira) opened until sunrise and has been another innovation this year. Activities of all kind were scheduled during this night: theatre (Jean-Louis Trintignant), dance (Lucia Lacarra with the Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo dancing the Duke Ellington Ballet choreographed by Roland Petit), breakdance, and of course a lot of music.

Gaubira’s most original and risky proposal was the Open Mike operating all night long. Whoever wanted could participate with the only requirement of the previous registration. Bands of all kind performed that night at the Heineken Tent; rock bands, blues bands, a ska music band, a Brazilian music band and even a singer from Pakistan, who runs a Kebab restaurant in San Sebastian.

The Zurriola Beach and the Terraces of Kursaal have been full of people during the Festival attracted by the magnificent enviroment, the good weather (except second day’s wind storm) and the high quality music provided by Marc Ribot, Frank Wess, Stefano di Battista, Kate McGarry, Pyeng Threadgill, Musica Nuda, Linx & Wissels, Till Brönner, and the recreation of Jimi Hendrix's music by Doran, Stucky, Studer and Tacuma.

This Festival has had many outstanding moments along its 43 years of history. Undoubtedly the 2008 edition will be one of the most reminded.

The great pianist Ahmad Jamal received yesterday, July 25, the Donostiako Jazzaldia Award, in recognition of an entire career. The award was handed by Odon Elorza, Mayor of San Sebastian, in the presence of Miguel Martin, director of Heineken Jazzaldia.

The award is a drawing of the Plaza de la Trinidad, the Festival’s historical stage, a work of the local artist Josemari Aleman Amundarain.

Caravan Palace at the Green Stage