The Yucatecan capital will vibrate to a different rhythm from October 1 to 4 with the Mérida 2025 Jazz Festival, a new cultural offering that includes concerts, masterclasses, and a parade featuring traditional New Orleans-style jazz, free for the whole family, announced Mayor Cecilia Patrón Laviada and participating musicians.
“Diversifying Mérida’s cultural, acoustic, and tourist offerings means bringing culture to the entire city with social justice. This also means providing spaces for representatives of this musical genre that not only seeks to elevate jazz but also foster a cultural and social impact in the community, contributing to local tourism, benefiting the hotel and restaurant industry, and Mérida families who will be able to enjoy local, national, and international artists free of charge,” shared the mayor.
Magos Herrera and Elizabet Meza, renowned performers with more than two decades of experience in jazz, are part of the lineup of artists who will fill the festival with their voices and versatility. The festival’s projects also include performances by Concorde, Imperfecta (San Cuevas), The Tribe, Meen Green, Tlapalería Don Chuy, Mérida Hoy Jazz Society, and Óscar Terán Cuarteto. Also on hand are Edgar Cruz, Mario Esquivel, and Emmanuel Mora; Mateo and Rodrigo Valdéz; and Gina Osorno.
The Mérida Cultural Center “Olimpo” was the setting for the festival launch, led by the mayor; Flora Zapata Mendiolea, General Coordinator of Social Justice and Human Development; Karla Berrón Cámara, Director of Identity and Culture; and Armando Casares Espinosa, Head of the Tourism Unit.
A promotional video with the program of activities detailed a total of eleven concerts, five master classes and discussions, a parade, and a special performance so everyone can enjoy the best of this musical genre that has left its mark on history.
The activities will take place in eight different venues, aiming to diversify the cultural offerings for everyone. These are: Santa Lucía Park, the Remate del Paseo de Montejo, the Gastronomic Tourist Corridor, the Anáhuac Mayab University, the Central Patio of the University Cultural Center (UADY), the Museum of Light, the CEPHCIS UNAM, and the Olimpo Cultural Center.
The talks will be held in the morning and the concerts in the evening, so that everyone has access to the musical experience.
It is worth noting that jazz musician Magos Herrera, nominated for an International Grammy in 2009 for her song “Niña,” is an international performer of jazz and contemporary Latin American music, with a solid presence on emblematic stages such as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and festivals in Montreux, Montreal, and Barcelona. In addition to sharing her jazz expertise, she will close the festival with a great concert at the Remate del Paseo de Montejo.
Elizabet Meza is a renowned Mexican vocalist with a powerful voice and interpretive sensitivity that combines traditional jazz with elements of Latin American music.
The hosts and masters of ceremonies for the concerts will be Sara Valenzuela, a singer-songwriter and cultural journalist from Guadalajara and a key figure in the dissemination of jazz in Mexico, and Edgar Cruz, a communications expert and producer with more than three decades of experience in radio, television, and print media.
The festival will provide a space for local, national, and international artists to share their talents, perform high-quality concerts, and promote the evolution and diversity of both traditional and contemporary jazz.
Also accompanying the mayor at the presentation were Paul Trotter, owner of La Tratto, an iconic Santa Lucía neighborhood; Ricardo Martínez, curator of the Mérida Jazz Festival; and musicians Jordi Albert and Rainer Pucheux, members of the Mérida Hoy Jzz Society.
The program for the 2025 Mérida Jazz Festival can be found at www.merida.gob.mx/cultura. All activities are free and do not include tickets.
Source: milenio
