Barcelona is at the centre of a new book on Miles Davis, which traces the trumpeter’s nine visits and eight concerts across the Catalan-speaking territories. Miles Davis, Sketches of Catalonia, by jazz journalist Pere Pons and Grup Enderrock, marks what would have been Davis’s 100th birthday on 26 May 2026.
The book brings together more than 20 texts from different authors and gives what it presents as the first full Catalan perspective on Davis. It covers appearances in Barcelona, Valencia, Palma and Andorra, and sets out the mix of musical highs and practical problems that shaped those visits.
Davis first came to Barcelona in 1967 for the Second International Jazz Festival of Barcelona, but he did not perform after a telephone argument with his agent. Albert Mallofré, then the festival’s artistic adviser, recounts the episode in the book, including collecting Davis from the airport and seeing him visit shops on Passeig de Gràcia and look for a boxing gym.
His first Barcelona concert came in 1973, again at the Barcelona Jazz Festival, after customs officials held up the truck carrying his instruments. Alfredo Papo, a long-time figure at the Hot Club de Barcelona, is quoted in the book describing how Davis eventually agreed to play one of the two scheduled shows using rented instruments.
The book also records later Barcelona dates at the Palau d’Esports in 1984 and 1989, and at the Poble Espanyol in 1986 and 1987 for the Grec Festival. Outside the city, Davis played at the Plaça de Bous in Valencia in 1985, the Auditòrium in Palma in 1986, and the Escaldes-Engordany Jazz Festival in Andorra in 1989.
Other moments include a surprise appearance during the final minutes of a B.B. King concert at the Palau de la Música in 1973, the day before Davis was due to play there himself, and an almost-finished jam session at Sala Zeleste on Carrer de l’Argenteria. The book also includes views from Catalan musicians, among them bassist Carles Benavent, the only Catalan musician to have played with Davis, in Montreux.
For readers following Barcelona’s music history, the book adds a local layer to one of jazz’s biggest names. You can also read more on our Community and Sport pages for other city stories and event coverage.
