By Luis Gasca
As music director of Louie’s Jazz Club, the new jazz dinner club at Restaurante L’Echalote in the Hotel Posada Eden Costa, it is my pleasure to present international and world-class music that includes jazz, Latin jazz and blues.
The grand opening will be on Thursday, December 7th through Saturday, December 9th, featuring “Direct from Cuba,” pairing the outstanding pianist Gabriel Hernández and Grammy-winning saxophonist Alfred Thompson. Mr. Hernández has played with some of the world’s greatest artist, including the Afro-Cuban All Stars, led by Juan de Marcos González, co-founder with Ry Cooder of the very popular group Buena Vista Social Club; Arturo Sandoval; Roy Hargrove; Lila Downs and “Doc” Severinsen (leader of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson band). Hernández is aways on tour playing the major jazz festivals of the world and will be arriving in Huatulco via Africa after performing at private government affair in Johannesburg the day before.
Alfred Thompson was the musical director for Ibrahim Ferrer, the legendary singer with Buena Vista Social Club; and also won a Grammy as a member of the Cuban band “Irakere”, which included Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera and Chucho Valdez.
Adrián Flores, a very talented young man from Queretaro, will be on upright bass; Flores is a member of the Gabriel Hernández Trio.
The jazz dinner shows start on Thursday (Dec. 7) and Saturday (Dec. 9) at 6:30 and 9:30pm; there is one show on Friday (Dec. 8), which starts at 8:30pm. This promises to be a wonderful weekend of music, so we recommend that you make seating reservations with the restaurant. The Hotel Posada Eden Costa/Restaurante L’Echalote are located on Calle Zapoteca, just north of Hotel Villa Blanca.
The next weekend (Dec. 14-16), Louie’s Jazz Club will present “Direct from New York,” featuring jazz singer, pianist and drummer Bobby Kapp. Huatulco already has many beautiful and wonderful things to offer the local community and visitors from all over the world, but I would like to add something else to this magical paradise—JAZZ.
Luis Gasca is an international trumpet artist. He has appeared on recordings with many well-known artists, including Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Pérez Prado, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Herbie Hancock, Janis Joplin, Santana, Van Morrison and the Grateful Dead.