2008 Festival Internacional de Jazz y Blues en San Miguel de Allende
The Festival is going into its 14th year. On behalf of Antonio Lozoya (the Director) and myself (one of the producers of the event), I am pleased and proud to announce our lineup:
11/29 The Antonio Sanchez Trio, featuring Orlando leFleming and David Sanchez. Opening for Antonio is six-string bassist Steve Bailey, who will be doing a duo set with a percussionist.
11/30 Austin blues singer/pianist Marcia Ball. Opening for Ball is Cuban pianist Gabriel Hernandez and his ensemble from Mexico City, with special guest Francisco Mela.
12/1 Brazilian singer/songwriter Oscar Castro-Neves in a duo with pianist Don Grusin. Opening for the duo is SF blues artist Jimmy Dillon.
12/2 Singer/songwriter Iraida Noriega. Opening for Iraida is pianist Ken Bichel who will do a solo set.
12/3 Mexican blues singer Betsy Pecanins. Opening for Betsy are trumpeter Peter Welker and guitarist Randy Vincent.
12/4 The 18-piece Northern IL University Jazz Lab Band, followed by the all-star finale I'm producing and arranging: Un Tributo en Jazz a Los Beatles with 13 musicians and 6 singers.
There will be a champagne brunch/'meet the artists' reception at beautiful Vista Antigua (just outside of town) on Sunday at noon, as well as 3 free daytime concerts through the week and three free clinics, in addition to the usual after-hours jam sessions that happen every year in local restaurants and clubs.
San Miguel de Allende is in Central Mexico, about 3 hours north of Mexico City. From most CA airports, it's only a 3 hour flight into Leon or Queretero, and then a beautiful 90 minute shuttle ride into San Miguel. By all means--if you're interested in attending, please just email me at Jazzooo @ aol.com and let's make it happen!
For more information, visit sanmigueljazz.com.
Thanks!
Doug
Last edited by Jazzooo; October-11th-2008 at 12:38 PM.
As one of the producers of this festival I am pleased to announce our lineup.
11/29 The Antonio Sanchez Trio, featuring Scott Coley and either David Sanchez or Chris Potter. Opening for Antonio is six-string bassist Steve Bailey, who will be doing a duo set with a percussionist.
11/30 Austin blues singer/pianist Marcia Ball. Opening for Ball is Cuban pianist Gabriel Hernandez and his ensemble from Mexico City.
12/1 Brazilian singer/songwriter Oscar Castro-Neves in a duo with pianist Don Grusin. Opening for the duo is SF blues artist Jimmy Dillon.
12/2 Cuban singer/songwriter Iraida Noriega. Opening for Iraida is pianist Ken Bichel who will do a solo set.
12/3 Mexican blues singer Betsy Pecanins. Opening for Betsy are trumpeter Peter Welker and guitarist Randy Vincent.
12/4 The University of Northern IL Big Band, followed by the all-star finale I'm producing and arranging: Un Tributo en Jazz a Los Beatles with 13 musicians and 6 singers.
There will be at least 3 free daytime concerts through the week and three free clinics as well, in addition to the usual after-hours jam sessions that happen every year in local restaurants and clubs.
San Miguel de Allende is in Central Mexico, about 3 hours north of Mexico City. From most CA airports, it's only a 3 hour flight into Leon or Queretero, and then a beautiful 90 minute shuttle ride into San Miguel. By all means--if you're interested in attending, please just email me at Jazzooo @ aol.com and let's make it happen!
Thanks,
Doug
way to go, guy!!!! i just saw Antonio, David and Scott in Monterey and they were fabulous!!
Excellent--I knew they would be, but it's great to hear. Antonio Sanchez actually went to music school with the director of the Festival, Antonio Lozoya. Thanks, Valerie. I bet you'd love the two singers from Mexico City.
Last edited by Jazzooo; October-11th-2008 at 01:39 PM.
Thanks, kh--I think that al was recorded and mixed by my friend, guitarist Ken Basman, who is also going to blow people away this year at the Festival--come on down!
"Just a quick correction, Iraida Noriega is Mexican (she's the daughter of famed Mexican jazzer Freddy Noriega)."
Wow, thanks Gerardo--her mothr was Cuban, and I got mixed up! So how come you can't come over for the festival?
Last edited by Jazzooo; October-25th-2008 at 08:47 AM.
And the lineup just got stronger--drummer Francisco Mela, who played brilliantly with his own group and with Bob Sheppard and Peter Sprague last year, is coming back to join pianist Gabriel Hernandez on 11/30. He's a gas to watch.
Just wanted to touch bases before it all starts tomorrow night--
I can't believe what we've created, a little to big for our tiny four-person staff (and a handful of hearty volunteers):
45 musicians
16 concerts/clinics
5 separate locations
7 days and nights
Antonio Sanchez Trio with David Sanchez headlines Sat night. Opening is singer Daline Jones from Cabo, with Ivan Renta and Jason Palmer along with A team of locals;
Marcia Ball and her band (with a handsome guest organist!) headline Sunday night, opening by Gabriel Hernandez with Francisco Mela. Renta and Palmer appear again--very different set, though;
Brazilian music with Oscar Castro-Neves and Don Grusin on Monday night, following blues dude Jimmy Dillon;
Tuesday--Iraida Noriega--love that woman--and pianist Ken Bichel;
Wed--Betsy Pecanins, following Peter Welker and guitarist Randy Vincent;
Thurs--the NIU Big Band, followed by the finale--the Beatles tribute i've been arranging for now 19 musicians and 7 singers.
All week long, there are free clinics, "Meet the Artists" events, free concerts in interesting locales. I'm exhausted already!
Let's see what next year brings--ticket sales seem strong.
There is no way I can post much, as I'm working 18 hours days right now, but the Festival kicked off last night with a free concert in the most glorious setting imaginable, in the Jardin in front of the Paroquia (the church).
This was before we started to play--within about 10 minutes, the square had over 500 people crowding in. We played for 30 minutes--my plastic chair fell apart and I went down hard, just a sprained little finger--and then up came the lovely and charismatic Daline Jones for a 2 hour set:
It was an amazing evening, the most beautiful and fun outdoor gigs of my life. The crowd response was amazing.
But.
Please believe me when I tell you that it was nothing compared to tonight's official inaugural concert. Nothing.
Pics later, but Daline opened the completely sold-old show (attended by the mayor) with a band consisting of Cubans Gabriel Hernandez, Ivan Renta and drummer Francisco Mela. Great set, the audience was with her from the start, the sound was good (should be--we soundchecked all afternoon).
But then.
Pat Metheny's drummer, Antonio Sanchez, played a 90 minute set with Puerto Rican saxophonist David Sanchez and English bassist Orlando leFleming. No piano or guitar, just sax, acoustic bass and drums. My jaw was on the floor the entire night, and I'm so proud of San Miguel for not only buying tickets for music this adventurous but also embracing it, ovation after ovation. It was the best jazz concert of my life, or leat of the last 6 or 7 years. Astounding stuff--Marty, check out David Sanchez--what a beautiful, organic player. What a drum lesson I got--mainly that I should stick to piano! They rocked the house, and also at times played whisper soft. No cliche's, no 'licks' just free-flowing improv that implied the chords and harmony enough that the audience stayed with the, the whole time.
Thanks, Ron--that's GLenda's photo from the rooftop of a nearby hotel! Literally 10 minutes later the entire square was filled with people who stayed till we finished.
The main concerts are taking place in the Teatro Angela Peralta, a gorgeous old theater. There used to be bullet holes in front of the theater where the SPaniards had executed revolutionaries, but they filled them in last year.
Today we've got three events: a Meet the Artists brunch at the development of our main sponsor, a free concert with Mela and Gabriel Hernandez, and tonight in the Teatro Gabriel will debut music from his new album with trumpeter Jason Palmer, followed by Marcia Ball (I'll be on organ!)
this is blowing my mind completely!! just amazing, Doug! a lot of very hard work fused with a lot of passion, love and dedication is obviously paying off! wish the hell i were there. will look forward to hearing more.
p.s. glad you didn't hurt yourself worse with that collapsed chair!!
Thanks, all--my wrist is fine, but my lower back is tweaked. Absolutely no time to get it adjusted.
Day two was interesting. First was out Meet the Artists brunch, totally sold out (almost 200 people). Gorgeous views, outside under a tent. Played a few with the band (Ken Basman on guitar, still my favorite). A good time.
Tonight, I knew nothing was going to top Antonio Sanchez for me, but it was still great and another totally sold out evening. The first act was Garbiel Hernandez, Francisco Mela, trumpeter Jason Palmer from Boston, Ivan Renta and Augustin Bernal on bass. Very hot post-bop jazz, I guess you'd call it. Kind of Horace Silver meets John Coltrane. The crowd was mostly there for Marcia Ball, but again I was so proud of San Miguel for embracing this rather hip and challenging music. The response was genuinely enthusiastic.
I had 20 minutes of rehearsal with Marcia's band out of a 3 hour soundcheck--she brought her own guy, and he as a real perfectionist. We took the stage--I was playing organ through my Leslie the entire time except for a clavinet patch on one tune. It's good time, party-down music and there were a few people dancing in the aisles, but upper balcony looked like a dance club. And of course, the sound system blew up halfway through her set! Didn't happen when our own local sound guy was running the show--coincidence? Probably. Anyway, they threw together a solution and the show went on without missing a beat.
Well, it's hard to believe we could have topped the opening night, and I'm not sure we actually did--but we equaled it for certain.
A smaller crowd tonight, maybe 300 lucky people. Still enough for critical mass, though. Opener was SF blues guy Jimmy Dillon,backed by the A Team of San Miguel players, including me on organ through my new/old Leslie 147. Best investment I've made in a while! We rocked it, tight. The crowd was on its feet.
But...that's nothing. Pianist Don Grusin and legendary Brazilian guitarist, singer, composer, arranger Oscar Castro-Neves took the stage for an acoustic duo set. These are old friends who have worked together for over 35 years...but this was their first ever duo performance. What an honor, and what sublime music. Oscar was part of the Jobim Bossa Nova invasion of the early '60s, and they did the hippest versions of his tunes, plus originals and solo pieces. Brilliant arrangements. At the end, Don was thanking me from the stage and invited me up--we did Manha da Carnival with four hands on the piano, but Oscar counted it off at breakneck speed! I think I hung in there, got a standing O but it's my town so who knows! We all went out afterwards and I'm just getting home now--got to wake up in a few hours to start it all over again.
Oh, and Oscar just informed me that he will sing Something in the finale, the Beatles tribute on Thursday night!
What a magical night, one of my best in the last 20 years.
Gabriel Hernandez on piano, Francisco Mela on drums...
Director and producer...
A nice house band for our Meet The Artists brunch...
With the Marcia Ball Band...
A Marcia Ball fan...
THe lobby at half time...
Trumpeter Jason Palmer, a great young player...
With blues singer Jimmy Dillon...
Don Grusin and Oscar Castro-Neves...
Joined by percussionist Victor Monterrubio...
And then by me!
And the Antonio Sanchez Trio blows the roof off the joint...
I know I'm in a lot of these, but I've only played in the theater three times so far, and anyway all I have right now is the photos my wife is taking! At the end we will have Jon Sievert's photos.
Last edited by Jazzooo; December-2nd-2008 at 11:14 AM.
i am SO damn proud of you, i don't know what to do!!! all of this is just so amazing! and, Doug, you're starting to look like you come from Mexico!! LOL!! xoxo
Since I'm a photography buff, what camera is Glenda using? They appear to be taken with available (and/or stage) lighting only — no flash. Correct? I just remembered that it looks as if flash was used for the lobby shot at intermission.
Yes, that's David Sánchez as part of the Antonio Sánchez trío. As Doug reported above, they played a kickass show, which I wish I had seen! David Gitin and I just saw Antonio a couple of weeks ago (with the Kenny Werner trio with Toots Thielemans) and he was also killer there. Congrats Doug! Was the Antonio trio show recorded?
I suspect that the trio show was recorded but not officially, Gerardo. Man, what a mindblower! The real highlights were Antonio/David Sanchez, Don Grusin and Oscar, I dug Marcia Ball and Iraida Noriega's sets as well.
Thursday night was the grand finale, nearly sold out--just a pesky 20 or so unsold seats. The NIU Big Band played a fine set--very good band--and then we set up for the Beatles finale--20 musicians, 25 singers. Oscar did a new arrangement of Something that is spectacular; Iraida sang my arrangement of Rain which we've since decided we'd like to record together. Some kids from the NIU played my charts, but they hadn't even looked at them till that afternoon and honestly it was pretty cringe-inducing, though my rhythm section saved the day.
This is the first video clip, of Ken Basman and myself playing an arrangement of Come Together in our simultaneous improvisation bag.
Last edited by Jazzooo; December-6th-2008 at 06:02 PM.
While I enjoyed your duo with Ken Basman, I kept thinking about how much a percussionist could/would have added to that arrangement. Of course, I'm a drummer/percussionist, so ...
Thanks Ron--sorry to have missed your question first time around. It's a Canon Powershot 720, I think. Available light but some flash too. And Ken and I play with percussionists, bassists, drummers and horn players all the time. For this duo though, we like our time to be far more elastic and I love it. Besides, I'm a pretty percussive player on the piano.
Thanks, kh--it was something. Honestly, what we've done is to make it too big and too complex for me to truly enjoy producing, especially since I tend to get invited to play throughout the Festival. I don't always say yes, but when I do I'm so distracted by production chores that I never feel like I'm giving my best.
I'm thinking a summer concert series, maybe two weekends in June. We've gotten this one grown up and rolling along pretty good.
Yes, that's David Sánchez as part of the Antonio Sánchez trío. As Doug reported above, they played a kickass show, which I wish I had seen! David Gitin and I just saw Antonio a couple of weeks ago (with the Kenny Werner trio with Toots Thielemans) and he was also killer there. Congrats Doug! Was the Antonio trio show recorded?
Interesting that Antonio's first name recognition on the USA scene was on David's band a number of years ago, along with Miguel Zenon.
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