24/7 VALENCIA: Can you tell us a little about your musical training?

JUAN TAMARIT OF ‘SEDAJAZZ’: I studied piano jazz at the Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña (Esmuc), after having studied classical piano and percussion in Valencia. But what motivated me to move to Catalonia to study Jazz was my stay at the ‘Sedajazz’ School in Valencia, which I combined with the conservatory. Here I met a lot of musicians who quickly became my references, because they had a much more open and broad vision of music. About ten years later, curiously and fortunately, here I am, collaborating in the management of ‘Sedajazz’ and giving piano lessons too.

Please could you explain to us what ‘Sedajazz’ is? Sedajazz is something very special. It has its physical headquarters, from where music classes are given to people of all ages; it manages an independent record label and the production of concerts, among other things. But you could say that it is also a network, where professional musicians come together to, in many cases, start collaborating together. All this activity revolves around jazz and related music too.

What happened to ‘Sedajazz’ during ‘La Dana’? There were seven people, including teachers and students, who were trapped since the afternoon of 29th October. When they wanted to go out after their working day, the whole area around the farmhouses (historical building where we have our headquarters) was completely flooded. Although the water had not yet reached a great height, it was already very dangerous to go out because of the intensity of the current. And in a short time, the water level was rising, until it reached more than a metre, which forced them to climb to the upper floor as a precaution. After spending the whole night trapped and incommunicado, they were able to get out at midday, but the damage had already been done; many instruments, sound equipment, unpublished scores and so on, had already been rendered useless. 

What are the aims and objectives in trying to repair the damage at ‘Sedajazz’ caused by  ‘La Dana’? Since many people contacted us to donate selflessly, we opened a crowdfunding campaign, which fortunately has already reached its goal. It is true; however, that the damage suffered far exceeds the amount raised. What we would like, however, is for people who still want to help… to do so by consuming culture. At the end of the day, music is what moves us, and it is what we would like to continue doing, so the best way for us to be able to continue performing concerts and recording albums is for people to come to them. On the other hand, we are trying to organise benefit concerts to raise funds for other victims, so anyone who wants to help the cause can keep an eye on our networks, where we will be announcing these gigs.     

Interview by Will McCarthy

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

More info: https://sedajazz.es/

Crowdfunding link for Sedajazz: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ayuda-a-sedajazz-fondo-para-los-danos-de-la-dana