The event, which Fàbregas himself promoted in 1988 and directed until 2020, highlights his figure as a crucial name in the revival of Catalan popular music. Jordi Fàbregas Canadell died on January 20, 2021, at the age of 69, and the Catalan folk scene is inseparable from his work over the last five decades.
“"His approach to traditional music was more about stoking the fire than venerating the ashes. And this fire, in Jordi's case, was not just embers: it was also a spark, provocation, and a touch of creative mischief."
The tribute concert, titled Faroner al Cap de Creus, campaner a Taüll, is based on a review of the repertoire that the musician from Sallent linked to the Pyrenees. The organizers' intention is to revisit those pieces “as living matter,” with the audacity that made him unmistakable. The review will feature groups he founded, such as Coses (1973), La Murga (1980), Primera Nota (1987), and El Pont d’Arcalís (1990).
The performance will take place on the stage of the CAT Centre Artesà Tradicionàrius and will feature the musical direction of Manu Sabaté (gralla, tenora, and bass clarinet), accompanied by Andreu Peral (vocals and guitar), Josep Cordobés from Navarclés (drums), Carla González (double bass), Chiara Giani (guitar and mandolins), and Liv Hallum (diatonic accordion). The festival is celebrating its 39th edition with a program running until March 27.
Other prominent figures in this edition include Artur Blasco from Santpedor, researcher and popularizer of Catalan Pyrenean music, who will perform on March 13 with interpreter Cati Plana. They will present 2 Històries, a project based on the research work Blasco compiled in the book A peu pels camins del cançoner. Groups linked to the Fira Mediterrània, such as the Orquestra de Músiques d’Arrel de Catalunya (OMAC), Sorguen, the Occitan duo Cocanha, and L’Arannà, are also participating.
