It was quite unbelievable, extraordinary and praiseworthy. An annual Jazz Festival has been staged for the last 18 years in the deepest province of the island of Mallorca, in Sa Pobla, the heart of the island’s potato growing hinterland. Put two Japanese Jazz musicians of international renown, an Italian voice of considerable talent, an US American drumming hero and a local bass guitar legend together with the screening of a 1925 Classic Silent Movie (The Phantom at the Opera/Rupert Julian), and you will have an unforgettable Night at the Opera, Sa Pobla Style. I call this a cultural milestone of amazing subtlety and vibe. If you missed the night’s performance, last Thursday, you will have to blame yourself. After all, I had marked this as a forthcoming highlight, some twelve days ago, right here on this blog.

There will be one final concert in this year’s Sa Pobla Jazz Festival, with the Noah Preminger & Ben Monder Quartet playing at 22h30 on August 21st in Plaça Major. Admission or rather, donation is 3 € in the inner sanctum, but if you sit in one of the surrounding bars in the square, you’ll have the sound and atmosphere all for free. There will be no movie screening that night, as far as I know. But still, it may be well worth the detour from wherever you are sleeping that night. That’s next Tuesday.

The photos were taken in Sa Pobla, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 16th, 2012. The time was 23:48:01 and 23:22:07, respectively.