La Fontegara plays early music with Mexican ties
By Bob Kelly

Pro Musica Concert
La Fontegara
Sat–Sun, Dec 8–9, 5pm
St. Paul’s Church
Calle Cardo 6
150 and 50 pesos

La Fontegara, considered one of Mexico’s best early music ensembles, will present a program of eighteenth-century music December 8. Then on December 9, they will perform a concert of works written by Mexican and European composers that were found in archives in Mexico, including music for the Christmas holidays. 

For almost 20 years, La Fontegara has performed music from the Baroque and early classical periods in concerts in Mexico, Latin America, Europe and the US. The group also has made several recordings and its members are professors and musicologists at the National School of Music of UNAM, the Autonomous National University of Mexico.

Appearing at the Pro Musica concerts in St. Paul’s Church will be the trio of María Díez-Canedo, traverse flute; Eunice Padilla, harpsichord; and Gabriela Villa Walls, viola da gamba. These musicians will be playing on replicas of original instruments from the Baroque era, bringing to life the rich and noble sound of the music of the period.

Musicologists around the world are now beginning to study and discover the wealth of Baroque music to be found in churches and archives in Mexico. The great Baroque cathedrals built in Mexico demanded music for their services and festivities. Scores written by European composers have been found in archives in Mexico, as well as works written in Renaissance or Baroque styles by local composers from La Nueva España (Spanish territories in North America), many of them anonymous, said Rodrigo Trevino, program director of Pro Musica.

The December 8 program recreates the music played during the “Age of Elegance” when European courts reached the greatest splendor during the time of Frederick the Great. The program will include works by Georg Benda and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (son of J.S. Bach), who represented the sentimental style favored by the Prussian monarch.

Also included are works by Spanish composer Juan Oliver Astorga, and German composers Carl F. Abel and Johann Christian Bach, another son of J.S. Bach, who were popular in London. These composers wrote music that Rosseau described as “full of elegance and noble simplicity,” creating a style known as “Galant.”

Both the Galant style favored in London and the Prussian style represent an early form of classicism that served as a bridge between the late Baroque composers like J.S. Bach and the classical genius of Mozart and Haydn, said Trevino.

The December 9 concert will include works by European composers found in archives in Mexico and sonatas found recently in the archives of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City, Trevino added. Also on the program are transcriptions of music from the “Códice Saldivar No. 4” by Santiago de Murica found in León, that is in a style combining court and popular music. The program will end with Christmas music, villancicos written in Mexico in the late Renaissance and Baroque periods. The popular lyric form expressed the merriment of the feast and thus was frequently comical. This music was obtained from different sources and archives associated with Baroque churches all over Mexico.

Tickets are available at La Tienda in the Biblioteca, Insurgentes 25; Casa de Papel, Mesones 57; La Conexión, Aldama 3; and St. Paul’s office weekdays 11am–2pm; and at the door one hour before concert time. For details see www.promusicasma.com.

Bob Kelly was a reporter on his hometown newspaper and the editor of a weekly, both in Parkersburg, W. Va. His last newspaper job was with the Chicago Sun-Times.

Original compositions from a local favorite
By Mathew Kuziak

Concert Rafael de la Rocha Mon, Dec 3, 7pm Teatro Santa Ana Biblioteca Pública Reloj 50A 100 pesos

This coming Monday, local favorite Rafael de la Rocha gives a concert. The composer, singer and guitar player from Mexico City, has wowed audiences in San Miguel many times before. A former agriculture student, a few years back Rafael left that profession to become a full-time musician. He finished first in a singing competition sponsored by talent hunters, and since then he has recorded a number of CDs. Rafael will play some original compositions as well as classic international songs. His musical intuition and expression of personal feeling has met with great acclaim. Those of us that have heard him recommend him to you. Tickets are 100 pesos and are available at the theatre box office.

Bravo, bravo.....Jazz & Blues Festival a huge success!!
By Dick Avery, Photos by Jon Sievert

As a longtime jazz fan and recent resident of San Miguel, I was curious to see whether the San Miguel Jazz & Blues Festival would really deliver world-class jazz. Deliver, they did…and then some!!

The 13th Annual Jazz & Blues Festival kicked off a five-day musical extravaganza on Wednesday, November 21 with a free outdoor concert at The Plaza Civíca. A standing-room-only crowd grooved to the swinging sounds of the San Miguel Jazz Cats, featuring the beautiful vocals of Daline Jones. The SMA Cats included Ken Basman’s hot licks on guitar, Antonio Lozoya’s (the Festival’s director) soulful bass sounds, Victor Monterrubio’s driving percussion rhythms, all anchored by the immensely talented Gabriel Hernandez on piano. Guest artists included Jorge Brauet and Tripp Basman on tenor sax and Alejandro Guardiola on trumpet.

The fun continued on Thanksgiving evening at the Teatro Angela Peralta. Fittingly, it was also St. Cecilia’s Day, the patron saint of musicians.

 Question: what do you get when you blend equal parts legendary Gene Perla’s sensitive bass, R.B. “Bobby” Kapp’s funky vocals and exciting, polyrhythmic drums, and Gabriel Hernandez’s fantastic piano? Answer: The Fine Wine Trio! And what a vintage it is. Featuring a couple of Gabriel’s original compositions, The Fine Wine Trio had every foot in the house tapping.

The second set featured the Francisco Mela trio. Francisco just tore the place apart with some of the hottest drumming this side of Buddy Rich.

All over the drums, he brought the house down, taking the expression “swinging” to a whole new level. The trio featured the terrific talent of Gabriel Hernandez on piano and the creative bass of Augustin Bernal. Jorge Brauet and Alejandro Guardiola were back as guest artists. At the finale, the crowd gave the guys a standing ovation, and I thought I could detect smoke wafting up from the drum kit.

Friday night’s first set featured “Dos Randys,” Randy Bernsen and Randy Singer. They brought a broad buffet of blues/funk/country with Randy Bernsen laying down hot blues licks on guitar and Randy Singer serving up mournful, get-down harmonica and vocals. The duo was backed up by a solid trio of Doug Robinson (festival co-producer) on keyboards and piano, Victor Monterrubio on percussion, and the ubiquitous Antonio Lozoya on bass guitar.

The second set saw The Peter Sprague Quartet tear up the house with just off-the-charts guitar playing by Peter.

This guy has played with anybody who’s anybody, including Sergio Mendes, John Patitucci and Art Pepper. He started the party with several of his own compositions, kicking the charts back and forth with his multi-talented brother Tripp, who had everyone’s head bobbing with his tenor sax licks. Peter’s sublime, melodic playing segued into a Brazilian groove later on, with Tripp breaking out his flute, adding to the mood. The guys were supported by a couple of very talented players, Hamilton Price on bass, and Dylan Savage on drums.

Saturday night’s first set demonstrates why SMA is such a jazz haven. Mo ’Ritmo y Amigos featured Doug Robinson laying down serious jazz/funk grooves on keyboards, Antonio Lozoya’s steady bass, Ken Basman’s rockin’ guitar, and Victor Monterrubio’s dynamic drums. After a couple of tunes, Mo ‘Ritmo was joined by their amigos, guest artists Tripp Sprague on tenor and Randy Singer on harmonica, and proceeded to rock the house with an extended, get-down, ears-laid-back, knock-your-socks-off blues number. This wasn’t your father’s harmonica playing. Randy channeled his inner Springsteen and had the audience on their feet. After retrieving their socks, the crowd awarded the players with a richly deserved standing ovation!

The second set featured the premier appearance of multi-talented Bob Sheppard and his tenor and soprano sax plus flute. Bob has played with the best of them, including Joni Mitchell and Burt Bacharach. Bob’s straight ahead style included several of his own compositions. Get this: Bob arrived only two hours before he was to play, and had never played with the all-star trio of Peter Sprague, Francisco Mela, and Hamilton Price. They sounded as if they had rehearsed for hours.

An overflow house on the final evening of The Festival saw the fourth appearance of the aptly named Hot Club of San Francisco, bringing their distinctive Django Reinhardt groove to the party. One of the first “hot club” ensembles in the US to revive French gypsy jazz, The Hot Club, a 5-string group, filled the hall with light, swinging, not-heard-very-often tunes. They were joined by Mademoiselle Isabella whose vocals delighted the crowd. The rhythm section had Seth Ford-Young on base, with Jason Vanderford and Jeff Magidson on rhythm guitars. Classically trained (Turtle Island String Quartet) Evan Price’s violin soared and humorous patter by the lead guitarist Paul “Pazzo” Mehling added to the fun.

The final set, A Tribute to Ray Charles, would’ve had Brother Ray cheering. Doug Robinson had most of the all-stars who had appeared previously on stage, plus Julian Mendieta on congas. They all brought their A-Game with a blow-the-doors-off, rockin’, wailin’ tribute to The Genius. Abe Zimmerman handled most of the vocals, while the “Raylettes”, which included Glenda Robinson, Molly Vetner, Tim Hazell and the great Randy Singer, sang back-up. Doug and Glenda sang a sly, sexy duet, and Daddy Cool, the inimitable Bobby Kapp, sang a couple of Ray’s funky numbers.

Doug Robinson has said he wants to take The Festival to new levels, ultimately making it THE jazz event in Latin America. I think this weekend proved that goal is in the very near future!

Dick Avery is a freelance writer and head sipper of VinoClubSMA, a wine club featuring the boutique wines of Mexico through a free tasting program. He can be reached at vinoclubsma@gmail.com or visit his website at www.vinoclubsma.com.