Riviera Maya Jazz Festival 2009

The Seventh Annual Riviera Maya Jazz Festival in Playa del Carmen- November 25th throughNovember 28th, 2009 

The annual Riviera Maya Jazz Festival is just around the corner. It will be held at Mamita'sBeach in Playa del Carmen, which is located on 28th Street and the beach. Gates open daily at6:00 PM and entrance is free! For more details on artists and groups please read morebelow.....

All photos and information courtesy of www.rivieramayajazzfestival.com

 

 

 

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Riviera Maya Jazz Festival 2009

November 25th, 2009The Royal Band The band was founded in 2005 right after Hurricane Wilma... Since 2004 Rosa Elena Valdez and Jean Agarrista have worked together putting together different sounds and styles of music, working hand in hand with Fernando Rojas and playing regularly at the Royal Hideaway Hotel, where they got the inspiration to form a band and name it "The Royal Band". Finding their roots in Latin jazz and then incorporating the sax as the main element, they made their own style, mainly defined as "smooth jazz" influenced by the jazz of the 80's. In 2008 while preparing to record their first album, The Royal Band incorporated other woodwind and brass instruments such as, tenor sax, trombone and trumpet. The mix of different cultures and nationalities among all the band members makes a unique Latin sound.

November 25th, 2009AguamalaAguamala is a "Rock & Jazz" group with a subtle mix of influences. A base of jazz with a touch of funk and different styles of rock create the sound of Aguamala. They have their own unique style with great music and great quality. The band was founded in the beginning of 2004 in the heart of Playa del Carmen, the enchanted town where all of the band's members have lived for a long time. The band is comprised of Fernando Toussaint on drums, Enrique Pat on the keyboards, Bernardo Ron on the guitar and Luis Ernesto Lopez in the bass. These artists have performed with artists such as Arath Lanz, Diego Maroto, Agustin Bernal, Enrique Nery, Pancho Lelo de la Rea, Alejandro Campos, Rey David Alexander, Leonardo Sandoval, Eugenio, Enrique and Cecilia Toussaint, Pepe Hernandez, PP Moran y Cristobal Lopez. Aguamala first participated at the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival In November 2004 and subsequently became the host of this prestigious Festival.

November 25th, 2009Colin HunterColin Hunter is the Founding President, CEO, and owner of the airline carrier Sunwing Airlines, and an all-inclusive package company Sunwing Vacations, one of the most important travel leisure organizations in Canada. Colin also pursues his passion for music. A huge fan of the 1950's crooner-jazz era, when Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett filled the airways, Colin Hunter fulfilled a long standing dream of becoming a singer in 2005 when he launched his first CD called Come Fly With Me, which was recorded with the 16 piece band, the Starlight Orchestra. This release coincided with the inaugural flights of Sunwing Airlines. In 2007 he returned with a second album, Timeless, then his third CD was made in tandem with renowned jazz pianist Joe Sealy titled "Mostly About You", which was released in December 2008. His fourth CD, "Timeless Too", will be in stores soon. Colin has hit the stage many times in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec and also in the Dominican Republic. Recognized for his smooth voice and sophisticated, upbeat performances, Colin Hunter loves getting on stage to entertain the crowd

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Riviera Maya Jazz Festival 2009

November 25th, 2009SacbéSacbé is one of the most seminal bands in Mexican jazz. The band is comprised of the Toussaint Brothers: Eugenio (piano), Enrique (electric bass) and Fernando (drums). The group has been playing professionally since 1977. As part of their 30th anniversary, Sacbé recorded "Todo Sacbé", a compilation of many of the songs that placed them as one of the most important contemporary jazz bands in Mexico. This was an important and fresh project, characterized by a very particular style mixing folklore and jazz, yet always maintaining their own identity. They draw upon all kinds of influences; from African, Asiatic, Brazilian and Mexican music to rock and jazz, always making very interesting music in the process.

November 26th, 2009Na'rimbo From the essence of traditional marimba to Latin jazz... Na'rimbo is a very unique band with a very contemporary style with a fusion of the most traditional and popular types of Mexican music, specifically from Chiapas. Bringing back some traditional themes with a jazz style and some Afro-Caribbean sounds the marimba emerges with a very powerful and delightful delivery. Na’rimbo give us the new face of the Mexican marimba with a combination of Be Bop, Bossa Nova, Salsa, Timba and Zapateado. Na'rimbo is a fusion between the traditional Mexican marimba and the popular Worlds music; mature, contemporary and full of energy.

November 26th, 2009Juan AlzateJuan started as a musician even before he was born, but he found his instrument -the Tenor Sax- when he turned fourteen years old. Since then he believed without a doubt that music was the most important part of his life. The musical doors were opened for him in the Caribbean where he had the chance to integrate the warmth and frenzy of Afro-American rhythms to his music. Juan has shared the stage with la Banda Elastica, Mark Levine, Antonio Sanchez, John Benitez, Ignacio Berroa, Bruce Forman, Mili Bermejo, Dan Greenspan, Victor Mendoza, Muhal, Richard Abrams, Grez Osby, Hugh Frazer. And He also has performed with symphonic orchestras in both Mexico and Venezuela. Juan has recorded five albums: 'El eco en la piel', his first jazz work as a band leader; his second album, Bajo el Signo del Jazz, he collaborated with piano player Mark Levine; the third album, Autorretratos, are his own compositions and he re-worked them in Hablar en Jazz, where he combines music with Mexican poetry and finally, Minnewanka, recorded in Canada in 2005.

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Riviera Maya Jazz Festival 2009

November 26th, 2009Mark AanderudMark Aanderud is one of the most important artists in Mexico's music scene, as well as internationally. He is a pianist and, composer recognized because of his creative and interpretative capacity. He is an expounder and creator of diverse styles, from Avant-Garde to contemporary jazz, from progressive rock to formal compositions. He has shared the stage with some of the most important musicians in the world. He has lead diverse projects in Europe and New York.

November 26th, 2009Enrique NeryAt a very young age Enrique developed the interest for music and at the age of twelve years old he was already playing piano in Orchestras such as The Chuck Anderson's Orchestra, and Luis Arcaraz y Pablo Beltran Ruiz, among others. From 1957 to 1960 he studied at Conservatorio Nacional de Musica under the tutelage of Aura Pacheco, Carlos Jimenez Mabarak and Rodolfo Halfter He has done music arrangements for various Mexican musicians such as Jose Jose, Eugenia Leon, Guadalupe Pineda and Vikki Carr. He also has done recording sessions with Pedro Vargas, Armando Manzanero and Marco Antonio Muñiz. Playing Jazz he has shared stages with Justo Almario, Abraham Laboriel, Oscar Stagnaro, Clarence Penn and others. Under his own name he has recorded such albums as: The New Mexican Sound of Enrique Nery, Perseverancia, Dueto Nery/López, Contrastes, Ambiance, From Mexico to the World, Solo Sessions, Mexicanista and ¿Quién eres tu?

November 27thJim Beard Since moving to New York in 1985, Jim Beard has toured the world extensively with some of the greatest names in jazz, including John Scofield, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin and Wayne Shorter. He has recorded with artists from an extremely wide range of musical styles. He has recorded with suc jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, The Brecker Brothers as well as Dianne Reeves, Meshell Ndegeocello, Toninho Horta. and Walter Becker. Jim has over 100 published compositions featured on recordings by John McLaughlin, Michael Brecker and many others, and as well as in books such as The New Real Book. He has appeared with the Metropole Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and performed in major festivals such as JVC, Montreux, Live Under the Sky, Blue Note (New York and Japan), CBGBs, Montmartre and many more. His writing has been used in television, movies and radio call signals and his piano playing can be heard in major Hollywood film scores. Five of his productions have been nominated for Grammy awards and Jim won a Grammy in 2007 for his contributions as featured performer on "Some skunk funk" (Randy and Michael Brecker). Jim has sat in the producer's chair for projects that have included Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, Bill Frisell, Marcus Miller, John Scofield and Kenny Garret. Jim has recorded five solo CDs, two of which were voted in as top 10 new CDs by Jazz Magazine critics.

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Riviera Maya Jazz Festival 2009

November 27thSpyro Gyra"Spyro Gyra -- it sounds just like what we do. It sounds like motion and energy". Since the release of Morning Dance in 1979, with its famous Calypso-inspired title track that quickly became a Top 40 single and is still in heavy rotation on jazz radio, Spyro Gyra has been a mainstay on the contemporary jazz scene. In 2001 Spyro Gyra signed a record-deal with Heads Up International and subsequently recorded In Modern Times, an album that spent 64 weeks on Billboard's contemporary jazz charts, peaking at #2. Two years later the band released Original Cinema, followed by The Deep End in 2004. Both albums logged considerable time on Billboard's contemporary jazz charts. The Grammy nomination for Wrapped in a Dream in 2006 reaffirmed the fact that these veterans are still formidable contenders in the contemporary jazz arena. The band continues to reinvent itself with the release of Good to Go-Go in the spring of 2007.

November 27thSergio MendesOn his newest recording Encanto (Enchantment,) Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes once again spins his remarkable magic, some of the most beautifully realized in his unparalleled career. "Every time I make a new record it's a new adventure" explains the affable Mendes. "My main motivation is to record wonderful songs and in the process enjoy sharing with the world the diversity of Brazilian music- both in terms of rhythm and melody". Mendes was still living in Brazil during the momentous era between the late '50s and the early '60s, when the samba-based Bossa Nova was born. In fact, he was one of the first practitioners of the new genre, together with composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, guitarist Joao Gilberto and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes. "There's sensuality to Brazilian Music, a pure kind of sentiment" he concludes. "The melodies are catchy, the rhythms are intoxicating, the songwriting is peerless and the harmonies are beautiful. There's freshness to that sound that simply refuses to go away." 'Encanto' is a beautiful Portuguese word that I chose as the album-title because it describes the whole project so well. It means 'Enchantment', 'Delight', 'Charm'..."

November 28thPat Martino Back in 1972, when he was still in his twenties, guitarist Pat Martino recorded an album in appreciation of his guitar hero, Wes Montgomery. Twenty-three years later, Martino has returned with his cd Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery. Pat Martino actually met Wes Montgomery as a 14-year old boy and later would sit in front of his record player and try to copy Montgomery´s solos note-for-note. But of course there has always been much more to Martino,s playing than mere emulation, and today he is considered one of the most talented and influential jazz guitarists of all time. His current stature among jazz guitarists is made even more remarkable by the fact that he has recovered from a devastating brain-aneurysm that he suffered back in 1980. He effectively learned to play the guitar again from scratch and was able to reclaim his position as one of the finest contemporary jazz guitarists. With his latest release Martino explains, "I'm trying to recapture what a little boy wanted to accomplish. . . This album gave me a chance to return to what I loved. I had never done that in my career until this album."

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November 28thAl JarreauBorn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 12, 1940, the quintessential contemporary jazz artist, Jarreau is the only vocalist in music history to receive Grammy awards in three separate categories (jazz, pop and R&B. He has recorded more than two dozen albums over the last three decades. Al Jarreau's unique vocal style is one of the world's most precious treasures. His innovative musical expressions have made him one of the most exciting and critically-acclaimed performers of our time. It's not surprising that he has perfected his technique to such an art. After all, he has been singing since the age of four, harmonizing with his brothers and performing solo at a variety of local events in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He certainly is one of the best singers of his generation.

November 28thHerbie HancockHerbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while still maintaining his unique, unmistakable voice. Herbie's success at expanding the possibilities of musical thought has placed him in the annals of this century's visionaries. With an illustrious career spanning five decades, he continues to amaze audiences and never ceases to expand the public's vision of what music, particularly jazz, is all about today. Herbie Hancock's creative path has moved fluidly between almost every development in acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B since 1960. He has attained an enviable balance of commercial and artistic success, arriving at a point in his career where he ventures into every new project motivated purely by the desire to expand the boundaries of his creativity. There are few artists in the music industry who have gained more respect and cast more influence than Herbie Hancock. As the immortal Miles Davis said in his autobiography, "Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven't heard anybody yet who has come after him."

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