Our Mission
To promote the appreciation of Jazz and Blues art forms.
To create increased opportunities for established and aspiring musicians.
Sunday, October 6th
1:00 to 2:00
Bassanova with Manny Flores
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Bassanova is a quartet formed by veteran musicians to study and play Brazilian music. The musicians involved have known each other for over forty years and continue to play in El Paso and surrounding communities.
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The band consists of Manny Flores Jr. on bass from El Paso, Texas; Byron Mutnick on drums from El Paso, Texas; Juan Francisco Anguiano on bass and guitar from Mexico City, and Javier Medina on saxes, flute and vocals from Los Angeles, California.
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2:15 to 3:15
Jazz Unlimited Big Band
Dr. Walter Carr started the Jazz Unlimited Big Band as a rehearsal group in 1991. The leadership of the group passed to Tommy Fraga in 1993 and that is when the band's focus and activity began to increase. Live performances were arranged giving the band exposure and a new set of goals; the band participated in numerous charitable events and also received the privilege of backing up professional musicians, some of the internationally acclaimed. Near 2002 the leadership of the ensemble was passed to Rusty Hall, an alto sax player who had been with the band nearly since its formation. The Jazz Unlimited Big Band prides itself in providing entertainment for various charitable organizations throughout the region for free and promoting jazz music in the region. The Jazz Unlimited Big Band was featured at the City of EL Paso Millennium New Years Gala in 1999, and performed at Music Under the Stars in 2001 and Alfresco! Fridays in 2002. The Band has a repertoire of more than 120 songs which include selections from the 40's, 50's and 60's in the big band popular song style.
3:30 to 4:30
Supersax of the Southwest
Supersax of the Southwest is the dream child of Dr. James Helder, President of Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues Society. He will be creating many of the arrangements to be used for the group. The saxes are the highlight of this group but than doesn't mean that the other members of the group are not awesome musicians. This is a group not to miss.
Dr. James Helder on tenor sax; the effervescent Rusty Hall on tenor sax; El Paso favorite Danny Garcia on alto sax; the talented Roman Chip on tenor sax; new comer from Indiana Tai Mikeleckey on alto and tenor sax; the inspired Miguel Torres on keyboards; the accomplished Adriel Hernandez on bass, and the unbeatable Ricky Malichi on drums.
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Ricky Malichi on drums
Danny Garcia on Sax
Miguel Flores on Keyboards and Adriel Hernandez on Bass
4:45 to 6:00
Fernie Lechuga and Azucar
Fernando Lechuga was born in Cd. Juarez, where he attended elementary and later a business school, before moving to El Paso. His father Roman Lechuga, an accomplished pianist, first introduced him to music, and became his first teacher. Fernando started working as a professional musician at the age of 17 with various well-known groups here in El Paso.
He started the group “Azucar” in 1975. The group is best known for their spicy rhythms such as salsa and merengue but their repertoire covers all styles of music, including jazz, latin jazz, among others. Azucar has been nominated the best group by local reviews on many occasions and has performed in Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Albuquerque and Austin. Azucar has shared the stage with famous artist like Tito Puente, George Benson, Juan Gabriel, El Gran Combo and Poncho Sanchez, Selena, Sonora Poncena among others.
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