ERGIO ALBACETE (Torredelcampo, Jaén, 1974) · SPAIN
A multi-instrumentalist performer, composer, arranger, and researcher. His insatiable curiosity has led him to study and carry out projects featuring music from all over the world, in which improvisation is usually the guiding thread. With a quarter century of teaching experience, he has helped establish spaces for jazz and contemporary music within the conservatory. He is the founder of the Jaén Jazzy Association and the Olivo Music Fest. All of this, along with the numerous awards he has received, has made him one of the most prominent artists from Jaén of his generation. He graduated as a Superior Professor of Saxophone in Seville in 1998 and holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance (Saxophone) from Musikene (2022).
He studied jazz in parallel, both self-taught and through seminars with Pat Metheny, Perico Sambeat, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Javier Colina, George Colligan, Mike Mossman, Julian Argüelles, Francisco Blanco “Latino,” Xavi Fort, Juan Carlos González, Rosario Giuliani, Jorge Rossy, Ilja Reijngoud, among others.
He has more than 25 years of experience performing in big bands, actively participating in many groups at the national level, including Clasijazz Big Band, the Granada Big Band, La Chistera Big Band, and La Sonora Big Band, among others. He has served as director of several ensembles, such as the Jazzandalus Latin Big Band and the Jaén Jazzy Big Band, and currently conducts the Ramón Garay Big Band.
In 2022, he completed his Master’s studies in Jazz Performance (Saxophone) at Musikene with the highest marks and unanimous commendation from the jury for his project Jaenian Standards and for his Master’s thesis Folklore and Jazz: A Look at the Songbook of the Province of Jaén.
He has been a professor at the “Ramón Garay” Professional Conservatory since 2004, and has also taught Saxophone, Orchestra, Music Analysis, Big Band, and Jazz Introduction at elementary, intermediate, and higher conservatories, as well as in various private institutions and music schools in Andalusia, the Community of Madrid, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, and Aragón.
Awards: Culture Award 2015 (Torredelcampo City Council), Diploma of Merit at the TIM Competition 2003, Honorable Mention in the Extraordinary End-of-Degree Awards 1998, Best Album 2016 at the II Jaén Music Awards for his album AHORA (Blue Asteroid Records), Musical Excellence Award 2018 (Diario Jaén), Jaén Public Employment Award 2024, and Destacando Award 2023 (Jaén).
He has shared experiences, stages, and/or recording sessions with Barry Harris, Eric Alexander, Michael P. Mossman, Miho Hazama, Kurt Elling, Kevin Mahogany, Bobby Watson, Michael Gibbs, Lee Konitz, Jerry Bergonzi, Perico Sambeat, Ramón Cardo, Marco Mezquida, and many others.
In flamenco, he has worked or recorded with artists such as Enrique Morente, Capullo de Jerez, Amir John Haddad “El Amir,” José Gálvez, José Rubichi, Andrés Peña, José Rojo, Laura González, Antonio El Tabanco, and Rocío Bazán, among others.
He has performed in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai). He has participated in the recording of 30 albums, 8 of them with his own projects and productions.
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The Teaching of Flamenco and Jazz in the Conservatories of Spain
Friday, January 9, 2026
12:00 PM - 12:50 PM CST
