An alliance of local cultural players chose Tuesday, April 30 — International Jazz Day — to announce that the International Jazz Encounter in Jalisco (Encuentro Internacional de Jazz en Jalisco, also called TÓNICA) is set for August 2 to 11.
“We’re going to inundate the city with events,” threatened local jazz luminary Sara Valenzuela, artistic director of TÓNICA along with fellow musician Gilberto Cervantes. She mentioned that this is the first year that the seven-year-old event will have an international focus.
Staff from the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, along with the state government of Jalisco and city government of Guadalajara were on hand Tuesday to lend support to the festival.
Madison Conoley, the U.S. Press and Cultural Consul in Guadalajara, called jazz a “beloved” form of music that integrated African-American and Caribbean culture and cited it as “an American art that presents to Mexicans an American face that is different, attractive and profound.”
Conoley and the other leaders voiced particular support for the educational aims of the festival. “I would love to help educate youth about the history of jazz,” he said.
Cervantes listed some educational events that are planned, such as workshops for children and the formation of a youth jazz orchestra.
As for the performance part of the festival, he mentioned a list of talent who are confirmed, including saxophonist Joshua Redman, singer Bettye Lavette, organist and trumpeter Joey De Francesco and drummer Peter Erskine, among many others.
The announcement about TÓNICA came on the day an international jazz concert took place in Istanbul under the auspices of the United Nations.
Information: www.tonicagdlac.com.