Sax fans on the Costa Tropical get a familiar face this Friday, when Erly Thornton opens the seventh Jazz en Otoño in Almuñecar. Nashville-born Thornton, a regular on southern Andalucian stages, shares the opening bill with Granada guitarist David Margam in a project called The Funk Assembly.

Jazz en Otoño runs from 9 to 11 October at the Auditorio Martin Recuerda, inside the Casa de la Cultura on Calle Puerta de Granada 19. Each night starts at 8pm. Organisers bill the cycle as the indoor autumn arm of Jazz en la Costa, the open-air July festival that began in 1988 in Parque El Majuelo, under Castillo de San Miguel. This October series itself dates from 2020, a shorter follow-on once the summer dates are done.

Friday’s funk bill with Erly Thornton and David Margam

Friday 9 October belongs to Erly Thornton and David Margam: The Funk Assembly. Thornton on saxophone lines up with Margam on guitar, Jaime Parrizas on drums, Miguel Angel Gil on bass, Jose Luis Lopretti on piano, Andres Garcia on guitar, Gaston Lopez on percussion and Sista Funk on vocals. Margam, founder of Funkdacion, is out with Magnetic, his second studio album, recorded with players from the United States and Europe. Their set pulls contemporary jazz, funk, soul and R&B into one groove-led night. Diputacion de Granada describes the band as built for a live room that wants rhythm first, and Thornton’s recent ties to the Andalucian scene are the reason his name sits at the top of the poster.

Jesse Davis and Ludovic Beier fill the weekend

Saturday 10 October brings Jesse Davis Quartet. Davis, a New Orleans saxophonist who studied with Ellis Marsalis, has shared stages with Clark Terry, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, Kenny Barron, Benny Golson and Wynton Marsalis. He arrives with Reflections, a record that keeps a hard-bop line and a personal reading of the American jazz tradition.

Sunday 11 October closes on Ludovic Beier Montmartre Quartet. French accordion and accordina player Beier is joined by Pierre-Alain Goualch on piano, Gautier Laurent on double bass and Frederic Delestre on drums. Swing, West Coast jazz and Brazilian colour sit in the same set.

A school session tied to the cycle, backed by Fundacion SGAE, uses live music, projections and astronomy material for younger listeners.

Tickets, times and how this differs from September’s cycle

Single tickets cost €15. A three-night pass costs €30. Sales run on RedEntradas and at the Casa de la Cultura box office, Monday to Saturday from 10.30am to 2pm, plus an hour before each concert. Ayuntamiento de Almuñecar organises the dates, with the provincial culture office and the Jazz en la Costa technical office. Full listings also sit on Visit Almuñecar.

Readers who caught September’s II Ciclo de Jazz at the same hall were at a separate Juventudes Musicales programme. July’s open-air festival stays the big outdoor date. October’s bill is the closer indoor follow-on, and the town’s 500th anniversary of its coat of arms means Almuñecar already has a full cultural diary running through the same weeks.

Free bus travel for most residents registered on Torrevieja’s padron is set to end as the town prepares to introduce its new urban transport fares during October.

The precise date passengers will begin paying has not yet been announced, but the new system will introduce single fares, multi-journey passes and tourist tickets. Free travel will continue for certain groups who meet the required conditions.

Single bus journeys will cost €1.50

Under the proposed system, a single journey on Torrevieja’s urban buses will cost €1.50.

Passengers who use the network regularly will have the option of buying multi-journey passes. A 10-journey pass will cost €11, while a 20-journey pass will be priced at €22.

For those travelling more frequently, unlimited travel for 30 days will cost €44.

Visitors to Torrevieja will have separate Tourist Card options. A three-day card will cost €10, while unlimited travel for seven days will be available for €18.

The new pricing means that simply being registered on Torrevieja’s padron will no longer automatically entitle most residents to free travel.

Bono Oro keeps free travel for some residents

Free unlimited bus travel will remain available through the Bono Oro for people aged over 65, pensioners and those with a recognised disability of at least 33 per cent.

To qualify, residents in these groups must have been registered on the Torrevieja padron for more than one year.

Discounted passes will also be available for people aged under 26, large families and residents who have been unemployed for more than two years.

The changes introduce a more targeted system of free and reduced-price travel rather than providing free journeys to most people simply because they are registered locally.

New fares form part of bus overhaul

The introduction of fares is part of Torrevieja’s wider overhaul of its urban public transport network.

Changes to the service include new routes, increased coverage and a modernised bus fleet as the town updates the way residents and visitors travel around the municipality.

The new fares are due to be introduced during October, although Torrevieja Town Hall has not yet announced the precise date on which passengers will begin paying.

Until that date is confirmed, passengers are advised to watch for further information about when the new ticketing arrangements will take effect.

If you’ve ever been in a situation where you’ve depended on a taxi driver to get you home, you’re probably aware that there are certain conditions you need to meet as a passenger before you can climb into the back seat. Being able to behave yourself is one of them, and being so drunk that you’re likely to cause problems is another.

Two British tourists in Mallorca appear to have discovered just how serious that second condition can become after a taxi driver in Palmanova refused to take them because they were too intoxicated. What followed was a violent confrontation that left one driver covered in blood and missing several teeth, while the two brothers ended their night in the hands of the Guardia Civil.

Taxi refusal sparks violent confrontation

The incident happened at around 2.30am on Wednesday at a taxi rank on Passeig Mar in Palmanova, close to Magaluf. The two British brothers, aged 31 and 21, had reportedly been drinking heavily when they arrived at the rank. According to local reports, the pair first verbally abused two female taxi drivers before trying to get another taxi. A male driver then refused to take them because of their condition.

That decision was followed by a violent confrontation. The younger brother reportedly spat at the driver, before his older brother began punching him. The attack continued with the driver being punched and kicked, leaving him with serious facial injuries and several teeth knocked out.

Another taxi driver was also attacked

The violence did not stop with the first driver, another taxi driver attempted to intervene and was also punched in the face by the younger brother. Other drivers at the rank witnessed the confrontation and contacted the Guardia Civil. Officers arrived at the Palmanova taxi rank and arrested both brothers.

The injured driver was left covered in blood following the attack, with his missing teeth among the injuries reported by local media. The location is in Palmanova, one of Calvià’s main tourist resorts, just along the coast from Magaluf. Taxi ranks in the area can be particularly busy during the late-night hours as tourists leave bars, clubs and other nightlife venues.

British brothers face court proceedings

The brothers were brought before a judge in Palma following their arrests. The 31-year-old was remanded in custody, with the court setting bail at €15,000. His 21-year-old brother was released on bail. Both are facing proceedings relating to the injuries caused during the incident.

Ultima Hora reported that the older brother was considered to have played the greater role in the assault. The case will now continue through the Spanish judicial system. For the taxi drivers involved, what began as an ordinary night shift quickly turned into a serious confrontation.

A night out ends very differently

Taxi drivers in busy holiday resorts regularly deal with passengers who have been drinking, but there is a clear difference between getting into a taxi after a few drinks and being too intoxicated for a driver to feel comfortable accepting the fare. In this case, the refusal to take the two tourists did not end the situation. Instead, it was followed by an attack involving two drivers and the arrests of the two brothers.

The 31-year-old remains in custody unless he meets the €15,000 bail conditions, while his younger brother has been released as the proceedings continue. What should have been a simple taxi ride back to their accommodation instead ended with an injured driver, a second driver assaulted and two British holidaymakers facing the Spanish courts.