Regardless of the rain,Baja Norte managed to placed on three of my favourite native bands, progressive jazz, tropical pop, and emotional ballads

I used to be blessed with a cornucopia of nice music this weekend – three of my favourite bands all performed the identical venue, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.  And my city was blessed with rain, which Lake Chapala wants, however is just not nice for out of doors music. No drawback – the present went on, each of them.

The venue was a restaurant known as Baja Nore which is quickly gaining a status because the  house for superb bands from mariachi to rock to pop to ballads. The BN is a big, sprawling place with indoor seating for the wet months -like this one now- and a big out of doors space with a coated alcove and a dance flooring.

Saturday night time’s lineup was unusual- the regionally common progressive jazz group Triálogo and the tropical pop group Mary’s Island. Each are wonderful bands and I do know them effectively.  Triálogo has a loyal following and two albums out.   Mary’s Island is beginning to get nationwide traction with over 135,000 streams on Spotify and an album coming.

Audiences for progressive jazz and tropical pop rock are normally fairly totally different, however on this case they had been just about the identical. Nevertheless, what might need been a sellout was dampened significantly by on and off rain all day and the specter of extra, however followers nonetheless confirmed up, wiping down the moist tables and chairs. The bands had been moved into the coated alcove and seashore umbrellas had been set out for the viewers tables. One  very giant group that was arrange proper in entrance of the stage cancelled, flattening the attendance numbers considerably.

However the remainder of the  jazz followers caught it out, some inside and a few (like me)  beneath umbrellas outdoors, and had been handled to a world class jazz live performance for our effort. Eleazar Soto  was in prime kind regardless of the climate, and wailed on the sax like there was no rain and no tomorrow. The band  – Giberto Rios on bass, Miguel Soto on drums, Soffia Ramirez on keys – was additionally in prime kind, scaffolding the sax at instances and going off on their very own riffs because the music known as for it. The solos had been spectacular, particularly Soffie Ramirez, whose contact on the keys was pure joyful communication.

Mary’s Island arrange and began rocking. The jazz followers stayed and a youthful crowd moved in , rearranging chairs and umbrellas right into a lineup of followers in entrance of the stage and spreading again virtually to the bar. Fernandra Parra and the band didn’t disappoint, regardless of the climate and being a bit cramped within the alcove. They delivered their common songs, like “23”, “Goals”, and “Bloom”, plus their newest hit, “Away From Paris” .  As ordinary, Fernandra exuded pure enjoyable, together with her trademark flashing smile as she performed. The night time went late and I truly didn’t keep for the ultimate few songs, heading house so I might add video and pictures.

However I used to be again at Baja Norte Sunday to see considered one of my different favor artists,  Elizzé Navarro. The BN workers informed me the occasion went on for some time Saturday – one other Mary’s Island trademark. I do know Elizzé Navarro by means of her band LYXR, a technically superb rock band lifted above the gang by Navarro’s astonishing voice and viewers connection expertise. Sunday she was taking part in together with her different band, ALBADUO, an  acoustic ballad band simply taking off however loaded with expertise,    The duo is  Elizzé Navarro and Val Orendain on vocals, who additionally performs beautiful guitar,  backed by drummer  Dante Jiménez.

They don’t simply make music; they make emotion.

Once I say Navarro’s voice is astonishing, I imply it. Her vary goes from deep belt to opera. Mixed with Orendain’s honey-sweet, breathy, counter vocals and harmonies, the expertise sheer heaven. They took me from ache to urgency to like  to nostalgia and again once more. It was the primary time I had heard them and it felt like a visit to the darkish facet of the moon and again, I needed to put down my cellphone and cease taking movies and simply hear (I did get a few movies).

I additionally needed to put my cellphone down to assist the band transfer out of a rain squall that got here up. I my completely positioned desk again beneath the umbrellas and moved chairs whereas the band scrambled to get the drums and cables and different gear beneath the eaves subsequent to the bar and out of the rain. However they did and continued with what turned out to be a 29-song efficiency, together with a canopy of “Cry Me a River” that introduced the home down.

All collectively a fantastic musical weekend, regardless of the rain. I’m trying ahead to a sunshiny weekend – who is aware of what musical treasures will seem.

_{Banner: Eleza “Chuco” Soto enjoyable earlier than the Baja Norte Live performance}

Patrick O’Heffernan