The Riviera Maya Jazz Festival has become one of the destination’s signature annual events, considered one of the top ten Jazz festivals in the world and the only one with free access to all concerts.
Performances for the first day include Colin Hunter, Pato Machete, and the award-winning sextet Take 6, which consists of Claude McKnight, Mark and Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley.
Hiram Gomez and Pat Metheny will take to the stage on day two of the event. At age of seven, Gomez started playing bass with private tutors & at 17 he began his work as a session musician which consequently gave way to his career as a professional bass player. Metheny has won countless polls as “Best Jazz Guitarist” and awards, including three gold records for Still Life, Letter From Home, and Secret Story. He has also won 20 Grammy Awards in 12 different categories including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, Best Instrumental Composition.
Day three highlights will see Grammy award-winning Kenny Garrett perform. Garrett has garnered critical recognition for his versatility in jazz, blues, and R&B contexts. The Detroit native began his career performing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Mel Lewis Orchestra. In the early 1980s, Garrett began working with Miles Davis, becoming a member of Davis’ working group – a collaboration that lasted for five years. Garrett’s most recent album, “Pushing the World Away”, features the band that he’s mentored for the past few years, Corcoran Holt, and received a Grammy nomination for “Best Jazz Instrumental Album”.
The Riviera Maya Jazz Festival began in 2003 and its 12th annual celebration will take place in Playa del Carmen, Mexico November 27 – 29, 2014.
Riviera Maya Jazz Festival, www.rivieramayajazzfestival.com