San Miguel de Allende, one of the most popular and historic cities in Mexico, is preparing once again to host the International Festival of Jazz and Blues, now in its seventeenth year. Celebrated musicians from around the world will gather in San Miguel to concertize from the 16th to the 20th of November.

This year the Festival is proud to present mulitple Grammy winner Joey Calderazzo, one of the leading pianists in today's jazz realm. He has performed with major jazz figures such as Michael Brecker, Branford Marsalis, Jack DeJohnnette, Dave Holland, Antonio Sanchez, and many others. Calderazzo is considered one of the best exponents of contemporary jazz currently on the scene.

We will also have the honor of featuring a Mexican pianist who has become a national institution, a musician who has played alongside great artists such as Perez Prado, Pedro Vargas, Chuck Anderson, Luis Arcaraz, Justo Almario, Abraham Laboriel and Clarence Penn, to mention a few. We are speaking of Enrique Neri, who will delight us with his solo piano music and some duets with special guests.

Rounding out our group of distinguished pianists is Cuban-born Gabriel Hernandez, a perennial favorite, who has performed with the world-famous Afro-Cuban All Stars. Hernandez has also toured alongside jazz greats such as Leon Thomas, Dizzy Gillespie, and Roy Hargrove. Gabriel just make an original music recording with Bob Sheppard, one of the most important saxophone players in the jazz scene.

So, too, will Randy Singer, a vocalist and harmonica player of exceptional talent, equally adept at jazz and blues. Singer has shared the stage with luminaries of various genres, including Paquito D'Rivera, Thoots Thielmans, Blondie, Jimmy Buffett, Al Di Meola, Garth Brooks, and Peter Madcat.

As part of a tribute to the legendary "Stan Getz", the Festival is thrilled to present master saxophonist Greg Fishman, whose resume includes sessions with jazz greats such as the Woody Herman Big Band, the Louie Bellson Big Band, Slide Hampton, Marian McPartland, Ira Sullivan, and Terry Clark.

We are also pleased to feature two immensely popular local groups, the first of which is the blues band Voodoo Chile, an ensemble with a wide repertoire and a devoted fan base in San Miguel. The other group is the San Miguel Jazz Cats, a trio composed of Ken Basman (guitar), Antonio Lozoya (bass), and Victor Monterrubio (percussion). These outstanding musicians have played together for more than a decade, and have shared the stage with personalities such as Dave Pike, Bob Sheppard, Oscar Castro Neves, and Don Grusin, among others.

Other local favorites will appear as guest stars, among them singers Robert Kaplan, Abe Zimmerman and David Garza, and percussionists Rick Shlosser, Scott Mason, and Julian Mendieta, who will offer an extraordinary tribute to composer/singer/pianist "Stevie Wonder".

A gala performance with more than ten musicians on stage will frame the close of the seventeenth annual Festival.

The Festival also presents special concerts throughout the year, including the upcoming October 16 performance of Grammy nominee Magos Herrera, a staple of the New York jazz scene, whose singing voice has been described by Tom Moon of National Public Radio as "bold, thrilling, and effortlessly global."

The International Festival of Jazz and Blues in San Miguel de Allende also features workshops and exhibitions, at locations to be announced. The concerts are held at venues that include the historic Angela Peralta Theater, the Plaza Principal (Main Square), and the Cultural Center Rancho Los Labradors.

The Festival has grown in stature over the years, and is now ranked among the best of its kind in all Latin America. It has the additional appeal of being set in one of the most beautiful, historic cities in Mexico.

See you there!