Eight in August: a jazz event 
By Antonio Lozoya

Performance
Jazz Festival Fundraiser
Wed. Aug. 22, 7pm
Teatro Angela Peralta
Hernandez Macias 62
50, 80, 150 pesos

Eight of San Miguel’s most dynamic musicians offer an evening of great jazz Wednesday, August 22. The music starts at 7pm, so please join us, along with Billy White, Gabriel Hernández, Ken and Wendy Bichel, Tim Hazell, Victor Monterrubio, Bobby Kaplan and myself on the bass. 

All of the players are waiving their performance fees in order to funnel as much money as possible into the coffers of the fall festival. Please let them feel your support—(M)the rewards will be evident come Thanksgiving weekend.

A ticket thus gets you a double benefit: great entertainment plus support for the terrific lineup of the 13th Annual Festival Internacional de Jazz y Blues, November 21–(N)25. This August fundraiser will put the finishing touches on impressive efforts to make this the biggest and best jazz festival ever. The festival has a proud history here, and we are confident that this year will live in people’s memories as the start of a new era. 

Working with Gene Perla, Doug Robinson and Gabriel Hernández, we have pulled together nine concerts and five educational clinics that will once again position San Miguel’s festival as one of the leading jazz events in all of Mexico.

With the sponsorship of local foundation Cantos de los Santos, we’ve signed such artists as saxophonist Bob Sheppard, who has blown audiences away with everyone from Chick Corea to James Taylor. The wonderful Maria Muldaur will finally return to officially open the festival. Brazilian bebop guitarist Peter Sprague absolutely dominates the San Diego jazz scene with his quartet featuring sax-playing brother Tripp Sprague and drummer Duncan Moore, both of whom will be a welcome sight to anyone who caught them with guitarist Jaime Valle at El Viejo Topo Café last month.

Five maestros from the Jazz Academy of Escuela Superior de Música in México City will not only perform, but also present educational clinics about improvisation, free to all students. And there’s more: Singer Daline Jones and the San Miguel Jazz Cats will perform a free concert in the Jardín; the gypsy swinging Hot Club of San Francisco will give string quintet lovers something to enjoy; bassist extraordinaire Gene Perla (Elvin Jones) will front the Fine Wine Trio; and new drumming sensation Francisco Mela (John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Kenny Barron) will join forces with pianist Gabriel Hernandez for some smoking jazz a la Cubano.

These aren’t just “great names for a San Miguel event.” Each one of these performers has been holding his or her own at international festivals from Monterrey to Montreal to Montreux. We’ll wrap up the festivities with a reprise of last year’s sold-out “Tribute to Ray Charles,” complete with a few surprise guests.

Music from the ages and the heart

Concert Steve Tallis and Jaramar Sat, Aug 25, 9pm El Viejo Topo Café-Teatro Stirling Dickinson 28  Plaza Pueblito 154-8701

Recently in San Miguel, Jaramar played two memorable concerts. His talent and interpretive skill showed the influence in Mexico of Sephardic, Moorish and Spanish music. Later, at a concert in Paris, he met Steve Tallis, a pillar of the West Australian music scene. They agreed to travel around Mexico and try to visit San Miguel together. Jaramar has completed his promise.

Steve Tallis is an Australian Griot, or a blues shaman, following a West African tradition of wandering musicians who sing traditional songs, tell stories and comment on anything from gossip to politics.

Tallis´s influences range from Bob Dylan to Haitian music, from Leadbelly to Indian music; also, he has explored a number of different religions and spiritual beliefs, something that shows in the development of his work.

His talent has earned him an Arts WA Contemporary Music Fellowship to study with international artists, a place in the Western Australia Music Industry’s Hall of Fame and a number of music awards in Australia.

His eight-CD box set, Anthology Volume One: The Sacred Path of the Fried Egg Maylands to the Gates of Hell (1962-2001) is a piece of Australian music history as it marked the first time that an independent solo artist released a box set.

What could a Griot from Australia and a Guadalajara native have in common? The answer is simple; they have both looked into the past to find their “spiritual voices.”

Steve and Jaramar represent the troubadours of modern times, coupling an understanding of and influences from the past with original and novel voices and sounds. Although their pasts, their music and their styles are different, they are united by the creative spirit that brightens the soul and produces such music. They manage to mold their two independent and contrasting voices into one singular sound, with which they communicate directly to the hearts of the listeners.

To learn more about the artists, visit jaramar.com.mx or stevetallis.com.

The Heart and Rock n’ Roll
By Nils MacQuarrie

Concert
The Heart and Rock n' Roll 
Mon, Aug 20, 7pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
50 Pesos

San Miguel has a great theater scene, amazing flamenco music and even short film and chamber music festivals.

But how often does a good rock and roll show come through town? If you live here, you know it’s not often.

Enter Sealtiel (Hector Rodriguez), followed by Starlit and Seth Sharp. Seth and Starlit are the lead guitarists, vocals and drums of the California-based rock band The Sharpies, and Sealtiel is a former member of the band Playmobile. Together they will be hosting a show at the Santa Ana on Monday called “The Heart and Rock n' Roll.”

Sealtiel is the Heart. Playing solo guitar, he’s hoping to win the hearts of attendees with songs from his new album Un Mundo Mejor. “The road has been long,” says Sealtiel, “but I haven’t stopped fighting for my dreams and desires. I hope to impart something special with my guitar and my voice.” He invites everyone to come and enjoy a musical alternative that moves all hearts.

Seth and Starlit are the Rock n' Roll. With Seth on guitar and Starlit pounding out a thick rhythm on her drum set, Seth, Starlit and local musician Mike Driskal will deliver a rock-based set that includes both acoustic folk and blues. “We did one unannounced show here a few months back with little practice and got an amazing response,” says Seth. “It made me realize how badly this town could use a good, fun rock show.” Since Seth and Starlit have played everywhere from bars to outdoor arenas, this is a chance to see what they can do on a theater stage. “Some people think that rock n’ roll is more noise than anything, but our show isn’t like that,” Starlit explains. “It has its silly parts and its serious parts, plus we have a lot of new songs, and we’re excited to give San Miguel the first crack at hearing them.”
As Sealtiel leads the way and as Seth and Starlit gear up to head out of town for a handful of shows in California and Sweden, don’t miss their first major performance in San Miguel. This is your chance to hear some Heart and some Rock n' Roll. Tickets are 50 pesos. Available at the Santa Ana 10am–(N)12pm or the day of the show.

Trios are number one

Concert
Trio of Tim Hazell, Antonio Lozoya and Victor Monterrubio
Fri, Aug 24, 7:30pm
Teatro Angela Peralta
Hernandez Macias 62
152-2200
50, 100, 150 pesos

Trios, quartets and small ensembles can provide the perfect medium for expressive and innovative music. Their compact size and close proximity to the audience bring eye contact and body language nearer, creating an excitement that integrates performers and spectators. Many of today’s composers and instrumentalists have grown up participating in electronic and ethnic experiences. Tim Hazell, Antonio Lozoya and Victor Monterrubio come from diverse backgrounds and have presented their distinctive music in San Miguel and other places in Mexico for over a decade. The trio combines unusual instruments from other cultures with vocals and strong rhythms.

Tim Hazell is an interdisciplinary artist—(M)painting, music, poetry, theater, education, writing and research—(M)with a focus on Latin America and its indigenous roots. He is a widely published poet, essayist, recording artist and multi-instrumentalist. Hazell, a member of Caracol de Fuego, is one of the leading interpreters of original native music played on authentic instruments of ancient Mexico. His grants and awards include the San Miguel Educational Foundation, the John Anson Kittredge Educational Fund, National Endowment for the Arts and Best Vocal Work, contemporary classical, as librettist for “The Stars Would Have Me Weep.” He is co-composer and project director, along with Doug Robinson, of “A Forest of Americas,” and a member of the executive board of San Miguel Grande Pro Musica.

Well-known musician Antonio Lozoya joins the trio on contrabass. Lozoya studied at the Escuela Superior de Musica in Mexico City and is a uniquely talented and versatile concert artist who has performed with many jazz greats as well as San Miguel’s tango orchestra during the International Tango Festivals of 2003 and 2005. He is the coordinator of the Cido de Conferencias Didacticas, a series of presentations outlining theory and appreciation of jazz, and has been an integral part of the San Miguel International Jazz Festival for many years, currently serving as festival director.

Victor Monterrubio, a percussionist and drummer, has made himself indispensable to events like the International Jazz Festival. He performs with some of the leading musicians from Mexico and abroad and has extensive recording experience. Equally adept at the full drum kit or percussion and effects, Monterrubio can work with a range of a drums, chimes and exotic rhythm instruments with ease and skill. His distinctive technique and flair for improvisation has made him in demand for music that requires originality. He spent his formative training acquiring a rigorous grounding in the jazz idiom and is proficient in an eclectic range of musical styles. He performs in San Miguel with the Mo’Ritmo ensemble.

This promises to be an unusual evening, featuring multicultural sounds from a broad range of influences and textures. Tickets go on sale at the Angela Peralta box office, Hernandez Macias 62, beginning the week of August 20.