Mexican musicians play the 2009 Montreal Jazz Festival
Hector Infanzón, Magos Herrera, Sacbé, Lila Downs, Los de Abajo. What do all these artists have in common? Besides sharing a common heritage, they represent the best exponents of a wide range of contemporary music in and out of Mexico, and they all will be performing in Montreal, Canada next July, during the Montreal Jazz Festival (Festival International de Jazz de Montréal).
This year marks a very special occasion for the internationally recognized event, as it reaches 30 years of successful existance. This anniversary will be celebrated with all the bells and whistles you could possibly expect from the largest jazz festival in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records).
Between June 30th and July 12th, 2009, more than 3,000 artists from 30 countries, offering more than 650 concerts, will delight thousands and thousands of avid music fans who will gather to commemorate 30 years of cultural endeavour and dedication in the magnificent city of Montreal.
News report by Danilo Navas
The Artists
Héctor Infanzón
Héctor Infanzón is a superb pianist, composer and arranger who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Jeff Berlin, Carlos Santana, Jose Feliciano, Lincoln Goines, Dave Valentin, Papo Lucca, Johnny Pacheco and many others. He has recorded 4 CDs: “Citadino”, “Impulsos”, “Nos Toca” and “De Manera Personal.” He’s also played numerous national and international jazz festivals, and this is gonna be his first time playing the prestigious Canadian jazz fest.
Héctor Infanzón is scheduled to appear on Saturday, July 11, at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm at the Club Jazz TD Canada Trust stage.
www.myspace.com/hectorinfanzon
Magos Herrera
Magos Herrera is an accomplished singer-songwriter and a world-class jazz vocalist, fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Considered “one of the most beautiful voices and the most active vocalist of the contemporary Latin American jazz scene,” Magos herrera is based in New York, where she recently released her latest CD -”Distancia”- on Sunnyside Records. She has toured Latin America, India, Japan and United States.
Magos Herrera plays this time the Montreal Jazz Fest, where she will perform at the Scène CBC/Radio-Canada stage on Sunday, July 12 at 6:00 pm.
Sacbé
Sacbé, “one of the most important and influential bands in the history of Mexican jazz” is integrated by the Toussaint brothers, Eugenio, Enrique and Fernando. Led by Eugenio, who formed the group in 1976, Sacbé has recorded six albums. This is their second year in a row participating in the Montreal big musical event, but this time they’re joining Quebec sax player Jean-Pierre Zanella.
You can catch Jean-Pierre Zanella and Sacbé at L’Astral (Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan) -which is the new house of the festival- on Saturday, July 11 at 6:00 pm.
www.eugeniotoussaint.com/biography/sacbe
Lila Downs
Mexican-American singer Lila Downs grew up in the Sierra Madre mountains of southern Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca, where she was born. Lila Downs is the quintessential World Music Diva. She is a modern icon of Mexican music. With her band, Lila has toured around the globe, participating in many international events. She performs her own compositions, also tapping into the vast reservoir of native mesoamerican music, singing songs in the native languages of Mexico: Mixtec, Zapotec, Maya and Nahuatl.
Lila Downs performs on Friday, July 10 at 7:00 pm, at the Club Soda.
Los de Abajo
Los de Abajo defy any categorization. Their mix of Mexican styles -cumbia, son jarocho, banda sinaloense- with ska, punk, rock, salsa, reggae, and other rhythms is simply explosive. But they have to be experienced live. Their concerts are full of contagious energy and interaction with the audience. Los de Abajo have come a long way since 1992, when they got together as a four-piece Latin-Ska outfit.
The Montreal crowds are gonna be jumping and dancing to the sounds of Los de Abajo on Saturday, July 11 at 8:00 pm, at the Scène Bell.
