Nestled in the heart of the Gothic Quarter at No 8, Carrer de Comtessa de Sobradiel, you will find the best jazz, blues and swing bands in the city playing alongside international artists every night of the week except Sundays & Mondays.
This venue is rather snazzy and always draws a crowd. The venue’s stage can easily house a large band and there is plenty of room to groove, with drinking tables situated close to the action. But arrive early, as these spaces fill quite quickly.
Nightlife chatted to the club’s impresario, Daniel Negro, about the venue’s trade secrets and forthcoming programme in January.
“Harlem’s characteristic is solidarity concerts. We believe that music and social commitment go together. Since 1987 Harlem has hosted something like 10,000 concerts for 2,000,000 attendees with around 20,000 different national and international acts & musicians… We say Harlem is an area of freedom, transgression and artistic creativity,” he shares.
Not only does the venue back local talent, it also hosts events that support local, national and sometimes international causes.
“We’ve done concerts for Amnesty International, the Food Bank, SOS Racism, Anti-bullfighting, Assistance to Refugees amongst many, many others,” said Daniel.
“In 1988 myself, along with a group mainly made up of South African exiles, some English and some American expats living here in Barcelona, came together to start Acció Contra l’Apartheid in solidarity with the people of South Africa.”
“Two years later, Nelson Mandela was released from prison and traveled the world seeking solidarity, but in Barcelona he did not receive any political support because at that time he was just a black ex-convict… nothing special for the locals to be interested in. So we organised an event in Plaça Sant Jaume with Mandela and 300 people came. After the event we spent a little time chatting with him in Harlem Jazz Club,” Daniel recollects.
Barcelona has transformed since those days, mainly driven by the city’s successful bid for the 1992 Olympic Games. Now the city is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. But while Harlem is a very international place, it is not a typical tourist trap. What makes it stand out from many other concert venues is the fact that it has remained loyal to its roots and never jumps on musical bandwagons. It’s Pure.
“When we started Harlem, Barcelona was very different to today and Ciutat Vella (the Old City) was a marginal neighbourhood with social problems, crime, drugs… but we knew that the Gothic quarter was the heart of the city and its most beautiful part,” Daniel recounted.
“At the same time as the Gothic Quarter went from being a marginal district to a fashionable one, Harlem always kept the spirit of a jazz club… one in which everyone feels comfortable including young people, tourists, locals, seniors, students…everyone,” said Daniel.
“At first it was very hard but gradually the quality of the concerts got better and we created an intelligent and characteristic concert venue where the public now come and experience specially selected acts and performers,” he added.
And with an ethos like that, it is easy to see how Harlem became the institution it now is and will continue to be in the years to come.
For further information:
Harlem Jazz club, Carrer de Comtessa de Sobradiel, 8, BCN 08002
+34 933 10 07 55
www.harlemjazzclub.es
January 2016 Full Programme
01 The Big Bet Swing Band & Sax Attack (Swing) 23:00, 7€
02 Ray Cuza & Septeto Sazonando de Cuba (Cuban Music, Bolero, Cha cha chá) 23:00, 8€
03 Horacio Fumero & Pedro Javier Gonzalez (Flamenco Jazz) 22:00, 10€
05 Blues Jam Session 22:00, 6€
06 JV & 2 Moons (Blues, Reggae, Acoustic rock) 22:00, 6€
07 Big Mama Montse & Tota (Blues) 22:00, 6€
08 Orquesta Ilegal de Barcelona (Swing, Jazz, Funk) 23:00, 6€
09 Ray Cuza & Septeto Sazonando de Cuba (Cuban Music, Bolero, Cha cha chá) 23:00, 8€
12 Blues Jam Session 22:00, 6€
13 Ernesto Llorens Gypsy Jazz Project & Sebastien Giniaux 22:00, 7€
14 JV & 2 Moons (Blues, Reggae, Acoustic rock) 22:00, 6€
15 The Big Bet Swing Band & Sax Attack (Swing) 23:00, 7€
16 Ray Cuza & Septeto Sazonando de Cuba (Cuban Music, Bolero, Cha cha chá) 23:00, 8€
19 Mr Shingles & Blus Jam Session 22:00, 6€
20 Caravan Swing (Blues, Swing, Jazz) 22:00, 6€
21 JV & 2 Moons (Blues, Reggae, Acoustic rock) 22:00, 6€
22 Men In Swing Jazz Band (Swing) 23:00, 7€
23 Ray Cuza & Septeto Sazonando de Cuba (Cuban Music, Bolero, Cha cha chá) 23:00, 8€
26 Blues Jam Session 22:00, 6€
27 JV & 2 Moons (Blues, Reggae, Acoustic rock) 22:00, 6€
28 Gnaposs – CD presentation, ‘Gnaposs Groove’ (Funk, Jazz, Blues, Rock) 22 hs 6€
29 Men In Swing Jazz Band (Swing) 23:00, 7€
30 Son de la Rambla (Cuban Music, Bolero, Guaracha) 23:00, 8€
