Free Freestyle Music at San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend

Over the years, Los Cabos cities Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo have established rather divergent reputations:  San Lucas as a sportfishing paradise and playground for party people; San Jose as the seat of local government and the premier showcase for regional art and culture.

Those distinctions don’t always hold true, but generally speaking, the municipality’s premier celebrations of culture – whether in art, cuisine or music – are centered in San Jose del Cabo. That’s certainly the case for the annual Jazz Weekend, the 5th edition of which will be held February 17-18 at Plaza del Pescador; AKA the upscale shopping mall across from the Playa Hotelera, the glorious stretch of golden sand lined by many of San Jose’s finest hotels and resorts.

Since it was inaugurated in 2013, the event has drawn thousands of spectators to Plaza del Pescador to hear local, national and international recording artists adept at the improvisational, freewheeling musical style known as jazz. Proponents of Latin Jazz, a subgenre which has traditionally integrated Latin American rhythms and percussion, have always been particularly well represented…and will be again in 2017. Extended shows featuring multiple performers are scheduled from 5 to 11 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Jazz Weekend also provides an excuse, as if one were needed, to explore the many boutiques, galleries, restaurants and bars at Plaza del Pescador. Music lovers have always been drawn to shopping center attractions like Jazz Tapas Bar, 11:11 nightclub and Rock&Brews – the latter a rock n’ roll cantina from KISS stars Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley – but the plaza is also known as a mecca for fine food, most notably at La Galeria and El Fish&Grill.

Those in town on the day prior to the festival are also invited to attend San Jose del Cabo’s iconic Art Walk, held each Thursday evening in the city’s historic cobblestone studded Distrito del Arte. Like the annual Jazz Weekend, the weekly Art Walk is free of charge.

For more information about the family-friendly and entirely free San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend, visit www.sanjosejazzweekend.com, www.plazadelpescador.com, 0r email event coordinator Astrid Castañeda Ruiz at eastridcruiz@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend.