Saturday, October 3
Plaza de Mesilla
Smooth Jazz in the Afternoon
Derrick Lee Quartet
The Derrick Lee Group has operated for over 20 years in Southern New Mexico, West Texas, and the Southwest U.S. bringing together the best musicians of the region. The group routinely breaks from standards and premiers fresh new Jazz, Blues, and other popular Black American Music into every local scene, with every performance they play.
Members include Derrick Lee, Ricardo Castellano Jr. (keys), Paloma Saenz (bass), and Alex Mobley (drums).
Border Jazz Quintet
Roman Chip and The Border Jazz Quintet is a long-standing New Mexico jazz group led by saxophonist and educator Roman “Chip” Cipriani, featuring local musicians.
Along with Roman, this year’s line up consists of Miguel Torres (keyboard), Ruben Galvan (drums), Dr. Alan Kaplan (trombone), and Asiah Thomas-Mandlman (vocals). The group has been a regular fixture at the Mesilla Valley Jazz & Blues Festival since its inception.
In honor of National Blues Music Day, Border Jazz Quintet will be offering a set of wonderful blues arrangements.
Blues in the Night
Kat Crosby and the Rhythm Gators
Kat Crosby is a singer/songwriter who performs originals and covers in the Las Cruces and El Paso area. She describes her take on modern blues music as having a “touch of jazz and the attitude of ‘Let the Good Times Roll.’” The band includes Crosby on vocals and keyboard, her husband John Peterson on guitar, Dave Ferris on drums, and Lee McCartney on bass.
She and Peterson met at a blues jam in El Paso and have performed together for the last 20 years. The couple lived in Florida for 10 years before returning to southern New Mexico in 2024. Ferris and McCartney are both known throughout Las Cruces and El Paso playing with multiple bands. They describe blues as “the almighty groove that gets feet tapping and bodies moving,” and “the roots of modern American music.”
Leon Carrasco & Twice as Nice
Leon Carrasco & Twice as Nice, featuring Adrian Revilla on bass and Victor Ochoa on drums. The band proudly represents West Texas, blending the soulful roots of blues, country, rock, funk, and Latin. Spanning three generations, each member brings their own flavor, exciting energy, and Tex-Mex spirit that honors their Tejano heritage. These wildcats deliver a powerful, fun, and crowd-engaging show packed with original songs and fun covers. Catch a young Leon Carrasco lighting up stages with soulful vocals and guitar, electrifying energy, and undeniable talent.
BARLOW
The jazz group BARLOW, a local favorite, will return with a set of jazz and authentic blues charts. The group includes Sam Barlow (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Sean Thoman Frankhouser (bass), Damian Christian (piano) and Joe Seltzer (drums).
Barlow is an award winning jazz and blues musician from Austin, Texas and a frequent performer throughout Las Cruces and El Paso. He has been a finalist and semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge and holds a New Mexico Music Award and CMA of Texas Award for his harmonica playing on Richard Cagle’s “Zia Blues” album.
Frankhouser is a bassist, electric and upright, with command of a wide range of music styles. Christian is a young musician from Texas who studied widely in the Midland-Odessa area. Seltzer is a versatile percussionist who has worked with Grammy-nominated western group The Desperados for over 20 years, as well as local musicians throughout the Southwest.