The Guadalajara Reporter

City awaits two-day jazz fest Sunday and Monday

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, (March 17, 18 and 19) Avenida Chapultepec and environs will rev up with a music festival initiated 12 years ago by the government of France and continued every year since then by Guadalajara City Hall.

But for 2012 there are a couple of unusual twists — a focus on jazz and the spring date, chosen this year to avoid the midsummer rain.

“The festival has an eminently French spirit,” said Guadalajara Alianza Francesa’s Gabriel Martin. The French cultural organization is involved this year by bringing the group P18, which, incidentally is not classified as jazz, but as World Music, one genre featured Saturday, before the days of pure jazz Sunday and Monday. (Other genres Saturday will be Latin rhythms, children’s, classical, reggae, ska and rock.)

But the two days of pure jazz are what have a lot of people talking. “The program is more interesting this year because there are new genres,” said Martin.

“Jazz is evolving in Guadalajara, at least from the musicians’ point of view,” said young singer Monica Zuloaga, who will perform Monday, 4 p.m. with the Klaus Mayer Big Band. The group is known for its Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller repertoire.

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