Spanish cops called in over allegation that band was playing "contemporary" music at jazz festival, medical necessity cited

By Cory Doctorow at 10:32 pm Wednesday, Dec 9

Spanish Civil Guardsmen were dispatched to the Sigüenza Jazz Festival to gather evidence as to whether the Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core band were actually performing jazz or "contemporary music." Their attendance followed a complaint from a festivalgoer whose doctor "had warned it was 'psychologically inadvisable' for him to listen to anything that could be mistaken for mere contemporary music."

His complaint against the organisers, who refused to return his money, was duly registered and will be passed on to a judge.

"The gentleman said this was not jazz and that he wanted his money back," said the festival director, Ricardo Checa.

"He didn't get his money. After all, he knew exactly what group he was going to see, as their names were on the festival programme.

He added: "The question of what constitutes jazz and what does not is obviously a subjective one, but not everything is New Orleans funeral music.

"Larry Ochs plays contemporary, creative jazz. He is a fine musician and very well-renowned."

Spanish fan calls police over saxophone band who were just not jazzy enough