By Antonio Lozoya
The XXVIII edition of the San Miguel de Allende International Jazz and Blues Festival will take place from November 16 to 20, 2022, presenting a program of international stature.
The inaugural concert will be held on Wednesday, November 16, at the El Nigromante Cultural Center and will be performed by the Romanian jazz trio “JazzyBIT” offering a fusion of various styles such as jazz-funk, jazz-rock, and Latin jazz.
On Thursday, November 17, at the Angela Peralta Theater, one of the most distinguished voices in Mexico, “Grizz Piña,” who participated in Disney’s production “The Lion King” and was selected to participate in the La Voz de Mexico television show, will be singing with her blues band to share the music of Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Koko Yaylor, and Susan Tedeschi, among others.
On Friday, November 18, also at the Angela Peralta Theater, the Whitney Shay Blues Band will perform. Shay, a singer who’s been awarded the “Best Blues Interpreter” five consecutive times in San Diego, California, will be sharing his most recent recording production, among other classic blues songs.
On Saturday, November 19, there will be an afternoon of performance at the Angela Peralta Theater where we’ll be able to enjoy two talented world-class tap dancers: Sarah Reich, a producer and instructor originally from the city of Los Angeles, has been a member of the Postmodern Jukebox project, which has millions of views on YouTube; and Nico Rubio, choreographer and instructor from Chicago, who has performed on various continents. They will be sharing the stage with singer Maiya Sykes, a classically trained vocal arranger. She studied independently with Nina Simone and Betty Carter. After graduating from Yale University, she continued her musical education at The Musician’s Institute. Her videos featuring her with Postmodern Juxebox have also received millions of views and have been mentioned in Time Magazine and the Huffington Post.
For the closing concert, the date is Sunday, November 20, at 1:00pm in the garden of the Santa María del Obraje Cultural Center. A tribute to Stevie Wonder will be performed and directed by the bassist and arranger Antonio Lozoya Jazz & Blues Collective, with more than 10 guest artists. All concerts start at 5:00pm except on Sunday.
Additionally, a free film cycle will be presented with films alluding to jazz and blues at the El Nigromante Cultural Center from Thursday, November 17, to Saturday, November 19, at 12:00pm each day.
Fundación Jazz Fest SMA, A.C., is a non-profit organization, and you can contribute directly to the festival to support the legacy and tradition of jazz and blues music in San Miguel.
Your participation is very important by attending the concerts and additionally by making a donation to apply for U.S. tax benefits through the San Miguel Community Foundation.
For more information, we invite you to visit the website www.sanmigueljazz.com.mx where you can also purchase tickets through PayPal for any date or directly at the concert venues. See you there!
