Walking by Cuates y Cuetes next to the pier in the Zona Romantica of Puerto Vallarta a couple of years ago, I heard sounds that brought back memories of Paris and the music of Django Reinhardt. I stepped in and was swept away by the local group Moruno, then composed of Diego Mateo from Spain, Nacho Flores from Guadalajara and Osmar Esquivel of Aguascalientes. This group was so wonderful that, thereafter, I never missed them when in town.
Osmar and two other gifted young musicians have joined together in Leon, Guanajuato as Gato Negro and recently they released their first CD “Ciudad de Arcilla”. They are heavily influenced by the tradition of Django Reinhardt plus they take their original music a step further in their new CD integrating the poetry of Deniss Guerra as introduction to each piece.
The group got its start in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, with founder Victor Quijas, a master double bass player. Eventually Victor moved his original group to his home town of Leon to participate in the Cervantinas, a music festival held yearly in Guanajuato. There he met Alfonso Jimenez, a talented guitarist who is a university graduate in guitar and maker of guitars in his spare time. Osmar Esquivel returned to Lyon in 2016 to work as director of the youth orchestra. He was thrilled to find Victor and Alfonso and with great enthusiasm joined forces with them as Gato Negro. Osmar adds his incredible expertise and energy on violin, guitar and accordion to the group. Gato Negro’s goal is to bring their music, inspired by traditional French, gypsy and jazz influences and called jazz manouche to the public at cultural festivals throughout Mexico.
A year ago, I was able to make a trip to hear them play and visit with them at two different venues. The first performance was held at a very nice French restaurant, Bistro Du Blé, in a quiet residential neighborhood of Leon. The group started off the evening with a beautiful piece called El Muelle written by Osmar near the pier in Puerto Vallarta exactly where I first heard him play. They followed up with a dozen or so spectacular numbers, each outdoing the one before it with incredible execution by each and all of the musicians.
The second night was more laid back but at the same time even more professional. It was held at a small club in the town’s historic center owned by a family dedicated to promoting the arts and providing a venue for local artists, poets and musicians. It is called Cafe de Los Artistas. In an intimate space filled with eager listeners the group introduced the music of their new CD entitled Ciudad de Arcilla. A moving introduction by poet Deniss Guerra accompanied each luscious piece. It was phenomenal. As I walked back to my hotel in the rain, I was floating with memories of the enchanting music.
Recently, I revisited Leon to hear them play again and was certainly not let down. In the elegant restaurant of Hotel Leon, Osmar gave a brief introduction to the uninitiated of jazz manouche, the music inspired by the Romani people of France and made famous by Django Reinhardt. In addition to the group’s marvelous music featuring Osmar on violin, guitar and accordion, Victor on double bass and Alfonso on guitar, Osmar treated us to several jazz pieces on piano, the first instrument on which he excelled as a child performing with symphony orchestras at age six. The crowd loved the music and the group didn’t wind up until after 11:00.
In 2019, I traveled to Mexico City where they played one of the oldest and most renowned jazz clubs in town called New Orleans Jazz. It was truly a wonderful show where they shared not only music from their wonderful CD Ciudad de Arcilla but also introduced their new project D'Jango Post Mortem, a wonderful tribute to Django Reinhardt. Since that time the group headed by Victor has been performing in their new location in Lyon, Hangar 318 at 5 de Febrero 318, Centro. Stop by for music or their cultural events.
Osmar and two other gifted young musicians have joined together in Leon, Guanajuato as Gato Negro and recently they released their first CD “Ciudad de Arcilla”. They are heavily influenced by the tradition of Django Reinhardt plus they take their original music a step further in their new CD integrating the poetry of Deniss Guerra as introduction to each piece.
The group got its start in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, with founder Victor Quijas, a master double bass player. Eventually Victor moved his original group to his home town of Leon to participate in the Cervantinas, a music festival held yearly in Guanajuato. There he met Alfonso Jimenez, a talented guitarist who is a university graduate in guitar and maker of guitars in his spare time. Osmar Esquivel returned to Lyon in 2016 to work as director of the youth orchestra. He was thrilled to find Victor and Alfonso and with great enthusiasm joined forces with them as Gato Negro. Osmar adds his incredible expertise and energy on violin, guitar and accordion to the group. Gato Negro’s goal is to bring their music, inspired by traditional French, gypsy and jazz influences and called jazz manouche to the public at cultural festivals throughout Mexico.
A year ago, I was able to make a trip to hear them play and visit with them at two different venues. The first performance was held at a very nice French restaurant, Bistro Du Blé, in a quiet residential neighborhood of Leon. The group started off the evening with a beautiful piece called El Muelle written by Osmar near the pier in Puerto Vallarta exactly where I first heard him play. They followed up with a dozen or so spectacular numbers, each outdoing the one before it with incredible execution by each and all of the musicians.
The second night was more laid back but at the same time even more professional. It was held at a small club in the town’s historic center owned by a family dedicated to promoting the arts and providing a venue for local artists, poets and musicians. It is called Cafe de Los Artistas. In an intimate space filled with eager listeners the group introduced the music of their new CD entitled Ciudad de Arcilla. A moving introduction by poet Deniss Guerra accompanied each luscious piece. It was phenomenal. As I walked back to my hotel in the rain, I was floating with memories of the enchanting music.
Recently, I revisited Leon to hear them play again and was certainly not let down. In the elegant restaurant of Hotel Leon, Osmar gave a brief introduction to the uninitiated of jazz manouche, the music inspired by the Romani people of France and made famous by Django Reinhardt. In addition to the group’s marvelous music featuring Osmar on violin, guitar and accordion, Victor on double bass and Alfonso on guitar, Osmar treated us to several jazz pieces on piano, the first instrument on which he excelled as a child performing with symphony orchestras at age six. The crowd loved the music and the group didn’t wind up until after 11:00.
In 2019, I traveled to Mexico City where they played one of the oldest and most renowned jazz clubs in town called New Orleans Jazz. It was truly a wonderful show where they shared not only music from their wonderful CD Ciudad de Arcilla but also introduced their new project D'Jango Post Mortem, a wonderful tribute to Django Reinhardt. Since that time the group headed by Victor has been performing in their new location in Lyon, Hangar 318 at 5 de Febrero 318, Centro. Stop by for music or their cultural events.
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