Jazz doesn’t belong only in concert halls. Ruta del Jazz is a series of concerts and didactic jazz workshops that brings music to the spaces where people actually live: historic houses, natural spaces, squares, wineries, hotel lobbies, school stages. Across Fuerteventura, each venue becomes part of the experience.
Organised by Casa Naturaleza Betancuria (Asociación de Música, Arte, Cultura y Ecología) in collaboration with Enrique Thompson Music, Ruta del Jazz connects diverse communities through the universal language of music — combining professional concerts with educational activities that make jazz accessible to all: children, adults, local residents and international visitors alike.
THIS YEAR we are excited to feature collaborations and contributions from international musicians, as well as artists and producers who are backing the project!
‘NEXT EDITION — October 2026, Fuerteventura’
The third edition opened a new door: that of the visual and performing arts. The 2025 concerts incorporated live painting, performance and scenic intervention as an inseparable part of the show — not as a backdrop, but as a genuine dialogue with the music. With German guitarist Torsten De Winkel as international guest, two simultaneous workshops at the Palacio de Formación y Congresos, a didactic concert for secondary school students and four nights of concerts across auditoriums, public spaces and resort, the third edition was the most ambitious in format and the most attended: over 800 people in the audience across the programme.
The second edition concentrated more into less: 15 days, 10 activities, 7 municipalities. For the first time, Ruta del Jazz added education to the concerts — workshops with international musicians Lionel Haas (piano, Germany) and Daryl Taylor (bass, USA/Germany), and didactic concerts for students from local secondary schools and music academies. Jazz also found dance: a session at Espaciodanza Fuerteventura brought the quintet together with flamenco dancers in a collective improvisation nobody had quite rehearsed. This edition was supported by Culture Moves Europe, the European Union’s cultural mobility programme.
The third edition opened a new door: that of the visual and performing arts. The 2025 concerts incorporated live painting, performance and scenic intervention as an inseparable part of the show — not as a backdrop, but as a genuine dialogue with the music. With German guitarist Torsten De Winkel as international guest, two simultaneous workshops at the Palacio de Formación y Congresos, a didactic concert for secondary school students and four nights of concerts across auditoriums, public spaces and resort, the third edition was the most ambitious in format and the most attended: over 800 people in the audience across the programme.
The second edition concentrated more into less: 15 days, 10 activities, 7 municipalities. For the first time, Ruta del Jazz added education to the concerts — workshops with international musicians Lionel Haas (piano, Germany) and Daryl Taylor (bass, USA/Germany), and didactic concerts for students from local secondary schools and music academies. Jazz also found dance: a session at Espaciodanza Fuerteventura brought the quintet together with flamenco dancers in a collective improvisation nobody had quite rehearsed. This edition was supported by Culture Moves Europe, the European Union’s cultural mobility programme.
The first edition was born from a simple idea: bring jazz to the places where it doesn’t usually go. Over four months, from May to August 2023, the Ruta del Jazz quintet travelled the length and breadth of Fuerteventura — historic courtyards in Betancuria, hotels facing the Atlantic, village squares, natural spaces — and crossed the water to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. With Israeli pianist Guilad Shmaya as special guest at the opening concert, 23 concerts across 6 municipalities and over 350 attendees, the first edition proved there was room for jazz on the island — and that the island had plenty to say back to jazz.
The first edition was born from a simple idea: bring jazz to the places where it doesn’t usually go. Over four months, from May to August 2023, the Ruta del Jazz quintet travelled the length and breadth of Fuerteventura — historic courtyards in Betancuria, hotels facing the Atlantic, village squares, natural spaces — and crossed the water to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. With Israeli pianist Guilad Shmaya as special guest at the opening concert, 23 concerts across 6 municipalities and over 350 attendees, the first edition proved there was room for jazz on the island — and that the island had plenty to say back to jazz.
The route doesn’t end at the concert hall. Since 2024, Ruta del Jazz has extended its programme into classrooms, music academies and dance studios across the island — bringing international guest musicians face to face with students of all ages and levels, through workshops, didactic concerts and open sessions designed to close the distance between professional jazz and the next generation of listeners and players.
The route doesn’t end at the concert hall. Since 2024, Ruta del Jazz has extended its programme into classrooms, music academies and dance studios across the island — bringing international guest musicians face to face with students of all ages and levels, through workshops, didactic concerts and open sessions designed to close the distance between professional jazz and the next generation of listeners and players. |
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