Barcelona based tenor saxophonist Santi de la Rubia was born in Valencia in 1984. At a young age he became interested in jazz by listening to his father’s cassettes of Johny Hodges. At the age of eight he began playing the saxophone. After finishing the Professional Degree of classical saxophone in 2002 with honors, he moved to Barcelona to study in the Escuela Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). There he took lessons with teachers such as Xavier Figuerola, Eladio Reinón and Ignacio Gascón. In 2006 he graduated with distinction.
He continued his studies attending different seminars and classes with many jazz notables including Perico Sambeat, Javier Vercher, Dick Oatts, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Mc.Henry, Chris Cheek, Mark Turner and Walter Smith III.
With his first album Afinke, in which he plays as featured sideman of Jordi Berni trío, he won the International Jazz Contest of Granada and was selected for the Catalan Jazz Tour 2008. In that tour he shared the stage in Paris and London with Perico Sambeat trio. Later that same year he was finalist at the Getxo International Jazz Contest with Josep Tutusaus Sextet. In 2014 he won the second prize with CJ Quintet at the I International Jazz Contest of Almería.
In 2017 he received the award "La ruta del Jazz", awarded by the digital culture Núvol, as the best jazz musician thanks to the release of his first album as leader Broken Line.
Santi has played with Tom Harrell, Jorge Rossy, Joan Monné, Martín Leiton, Ernesto Aurignac, Jaume Llombart, Perico Sambeat, Roger Mas, Jordi Berni, Albert Vila, Joan Díaz, Giulia Valle among many others.
He teaches at the Taller de Musics in Barcelona but currently he is a member of the Focusyear Band 19, a one-year program for an internationally assembled ensemble of seven students, who are coached in a regular cycle by acknowledged masters of the international Jazz scene including Guillermo Klein, Dave Liebman, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Jorge Rossy, Ambrose Akimusire, Jim Black, Billy Childs, Luciana Souza, Seamus Blake or Julian Lage, among many others.
He continued his studies attending different seminars and classes with many jazz notables including Perico Sambeat, Javier Vercher, Dick Oatts, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Mc.Henry, Chris Cheek, Mark Turner and Walter Smith III.
With his first album Afinke, in which he plays as featured sideman of Jordi Berni trío, he won the International Jazz Contest of Granada and was selected for the Catalan Jazz Tour 2008. In that tour he shared the stage in Paris and London with Perico Sambeat trio. Later that same year he was finalist at the Getxo International Jazz Contest with Josep Tutusaus Sextet. In 2014 he won the second prize with CJ Quintet at the I International Jazz Contest of Almería.
In 2017 he received the award "La ruta del Jazz", awarded by the digital culture Núvol, as the best jazz musician thanks to the release of his first album as leader Broken Line.
Santi has played with Tom Harrell, Jorge Rossy, Joan Monné, Martín Leiton, Ernesto Aurignac, Jaume Llombart, Perico Sambeat, Roger Mas, Jordi Berni, Albert Vila, Joan Díaz, Giulia Valle among many others.
He teaches at the Taller de Musics in Barcelona but currently he is a member of the Focusyear Band 19, a one-year program for an internationally assembled ensemble of seven students, who are coached in a regular cycle by acknowledged masters of the international Jazz scene including Guillermo Klein, Dave Liebman, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Jorge Rossy, Ambrose Akimusire, Jim Black, Billy Childs, Luciana Souza, Seamus Blake or Julian Lage, among many others.
