2025 Festival Artists
Sunday, October 5
Colin McAllister "Latin Jazz Project"
The Colin McAllister Latin Jazz Project features McAllister on vibes, Dr. Andy Smith on drums, Arnold Schnitzer on bass and Shaun Mahoney on guitar. Musicians will play Latin standards by vibraphone masters.
Derrick Lee Group
The Derrick Lee Group includes Josh Marcus, Ben Marrow, Jacob Dalager, Allan Kaplan, Miguel Torres and Eric Howell. The group performs the music of Wayne Shorter. Come out to support the group, listen to the music of one of the greatest composers and influencers in music history, and support Black Voice in music in one stroke.
Derrick Lee is a percussionist, educator and composer/arranger in Las Cruces. He currently sits on the NM Music Commission and is the founder and director of the annual NM Juneteenth Jazz Arts Festival.
Josh Marcus is a versatile jazz saxophonist, pianist and multi-instrumentalist who brings both technical excellence and creative passion to every performance. He has studied with such modern masters as Vincent Herring and Mulgrew Miller.
Dr. Jacob Dalager is a crossover artist, award-winning composer, and Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Jazz at New Mexico State University.
Benjamin Marrow is a saxophonist and songwriter in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He has worked with Nat Reeves and Friends, The Joe Dunn Big Band, The Lush Life Quintet, and The Derrick Lee Music Group and has performed at the Frontier Music, SXSW, Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues, and Juneteenth Jazz Festivals.
Dr. Allan Kaplan is a retired Music professor from New Mexico State University. He has played trombone for over 60 years and has taught and performed professionally since 1968.
Miguel Torres, an El Paso native, attended NMSU and played in the Jazz Bands, Marching Band and the Roadrunner Revue Pep Band. He grew up playing in his family band, La Ritmera Garcia composed of his grandparents, aunts and uncles.
Eric Howell is a bassist and composer currently based in El Paso, Texas. His career is a unique synthesis of experiences playing bass in Classical, Jazz and Pop settings as well as working behind the scenes as a composer, arranger and recording engineer.
David Rodriguez, Havana Quintet
David Rodriguez and the Havana Quintet includes Rodriguez on bass; Gabrielle Torres on saxophone; Frank la Rosa on percussion; Miguel Rodriguez on piano; and Juan Olivas on batería. David Rodriguez is an Electric and Double bassist, composer, educator, arranger and producer residing in El Paso, Texas. He was born in Havana, Cuba.
In Cuba, David played with Orquesta La Farandula and with The Cuban American Youth Orchestra. He moved to Mexico with Oruquesta LM Sobredosis and participated in jazz workshops at Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico. David Rodriguez shared the stage with renewed musicians like Grammy winner drummer Raul Pineda and Grammy nominees Jesus Dias, Frankie J. and Jerry Rivera. He also recorded an album as a bass player with saxophonist Jerry Lopez and guitarist Shaun Mahoney, and collaborated with the Carlos Barba Trio, opening for Antonio Sanchez & Migration band in the Ciudad Juárez Festival in 2019. David is the bass player and bandleader of Team Havana and The Havana Jazz Quintet.
Sam Barlow and His True Blue Band
Sam and his True Blue Band perform a wide range of genres including Blues, Jazz, Latin, Rock, Swing and R&B. Sam Barlow is a virtuoso guitarist, harmonicist and vocalist who has worked as a professional musician for 17 years. Internationally-acclaimed and multi award-winning blues artist, Sam Barlow and his True Blue Band electrify the stage and fire-up their audiences. Sam Barlow’s True Blue Band includes Joseph Seltzer on Drums and vocals, and Tony Pacheco on Bass. Sadly, the band’s brilliant pianist, Ruben Gutierrez, recently passed unexpectedly. Sam writes, "I lost my dear friend, mentor, bandmate, favorite professor, and worthy constituent, Ruben Gutierrez…. He introduced me to and instilled in me a deep love for the jazz language.… I am brokenhearted and still in shock at this huge loss.… I will miss you Ruben, and I love you more than you know."