Mexico Earthquake Benefit Concerts — Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017

[Ron Thorne]

From Doug's (Jazzooo's) Facebook page —



Doug Robinson

Ok, folks--it's happening!

A OAXACA CON AMOR!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for Sunday Sept 24, from 4-9pm at MUVARTE (Prolongación de Alcocer #32, near the SAPASMA building).

Paco Rivera and I have gathered some of the most popular musical cats around for a mini-music festival to benefit those hardest hit by the recent earthquakes in Oaxaca.

Sponsored by CDR/Christie's Intl Real Estate and with vital assistance from Magic Town Music Festival, Muvarte itself and Mercado Sano, "A Oaxaca Con Amor" will feature the vivacious Bohemia Viva, the amazing Lady Zen, the brand-spanking new Buenos Tiempos band, the funkalicious Paco Rivera and Atomic (featuring Rick Shlosser and Ana Karen), my own trio with Victor Monterrubio and Ruben Olvera, singer Elsa Sommarström, the astounding Ken Bichel, the ever-elegant Maria Sanchez, guests from Pila Seca, some spinning from DJ Brigham Golden...

PLUS a special concert appearance by Mexico City's XUC TRIO, the excellent ensemble with whom I've been guesting lately. Ask anyone who attended one of our house concerts last month or our hit at Johnny's Piano Bar--they are something else!

We plan to wrap it all up with a big jam session.
Baile, Disfruta y Ayuda!

There will be food and drink available; tickets are only $300 pesos and we're shooting for a full house. There will be listening, dancing, jamming and probably kids running wild in the street outside.

Rest assured--we've got some connections on the ground in Oaxaca and Chiapas who will make sure that what we send gets to where it is needed the most.

Spread the word and pick up your tickets at Muvarte or at Postres Artesenales in Mercado Sano starting Wednesday. And on Sunday, come and go as you please with your admission--hang out and enjoy for a while, take a break and come back for more! We will be there, playing for you till around 9pm.

And a special shout out to the talented Uriel Orosco, who not only plays keyboards for Pila Seca but also designed our poster in record time!

[Ron Thorne]

An update from Jazzooo's Facebook Timeline —



Doug Robinson


REGARDING "A OAXACA CON AMOR" the benefit concert last Sunday:

Folks, I want to thank everyone who participated in this event at every level, whether you performed or bought a ticket or snagged something at the silent auction or bought Mercado Sano food there or simply helped to spread the word.

Last Sunday, between 4 and 9pm and in the middle of torrential rain, approximately 350 amazing people cycled through MUVARTE to hear more than 30 musicians playing to benefit the hardest hit communities in rural Oaxaca.

The music was great--we had everything from torch songs to funk to oldies, contemporary jazz, solo piano, traditional Latin American songs and more. And those who stuck around for the big finale with XUC Trio will almost certainly remember that show for a while!

We are still waiting to collect some credit card pledges, but I can tell you that the unofficial total raised was just over $250,000 pesos (about $14,000 USD). We have already distributed a large chunk of that and the rest goes out in the next week or so.

We have two main contacts on the ground in the communities of San Mateo del Mar, Juchitán and Union de Hidalgo. One is Denise Lechner, a humanitarian and anthropologist who has been working nonstop since the quakes, setting up a mobile health clinic and buying and distributing supplies; the other is the father of a San Miguel resident who is an elder in the community of Union de Hidalgo and also the chairman of an important group that focuses on improving the lives of the extremely poor there.

The money right now is mostly going to gas for trucks transporting relief items; for tarps which serve as temporary shelter; pallets to keep supplies off the wet ground; medical supplies. Longer term, there is a program getting set up as I type to build bathrooms using some of the equipment from destroyed houses which not only addresses sanitation but also provides employment for the many artisans who are down there, trying to figure out what to do.

Long lists of 'thank you's probably don't get read, but they should. If you have a moment, take a look at these people and say a little silent 'gracias' to them. They did something really important this past week!

Maria Sanchez, Denise Rosenfeld, Alexis White, Patrice Wynne, Adriana and Jorge from MUVARTE, Carrie Cameron/Rusty Henson and Magic Town, all of the amazing painters, photographers and service providers who gave us things for the SILENT AUCTION, Mercado Sano, Nancy Howze and Jim Dolan from CDR/Christie’s, Dr Dave and San Miguel Events, Ron Lennox, The Civil List, Rodrigo Lopez from Travalian tours and his father, and Denise Lechner.

And these musicians!

Maria, Julian Arcos, Alex Gutierrez, Victor Monterrubio, Ruben Olvera, Gabe Heiser, Bob Block, Carmi Simon, Rick Shlosser, Ken Bichel, Paco Rivera, Ana Karen, Ariel, Pawis, Andrea and Luis (Bohemia Viva), Elsa Sommarstrom, Moises, Miguel Kegal, Sonny, Susan Varcoe, Lady Zen, Brigham Golden, XUC TRIO (JuanJo, Jorge, Chuck), Phillip Hertz.

If I forgot anyone, please forgive me and also feel free to remind me.

One of our people on the ground in Union Hidalgo was overwhelmed by the love for Mexico from so many who weren't even born here.

Moving forward...if you see me on the street and want to make a donation, I'll take it and get it to the right place. If you want to donate via paypal, this is one address we know that it is going to the right places: paypalme/deniselechner.

In closing, thanks a million for your participation. We all love to make music but I know I speak for the others when I say that it's an extra privilege to apply our talents for something like this.

All the best,

Doug Robinson

[Jazzooo]

Thank you, Ron! I really appreciate this.

[Jazzooo]

Here I am at the benefit, playing 'Little Tykes' with the mighty XUC Trio from Mexico City:

https://m.facebook.com/rlvaldes/videos/ ... 710522873/

[Ron Thorne]

Thank you, Ron! I really appreciate this.

My pleasure, Doug/Jazzooo.