New releases of Mexican jazz this week in honor of the “El Lago Suena” International Jazz Series this weekend in Ajijic, Mexico
Mexican jazz this week
Since I am attending the “El Lago Suena” International Jazz Series this weekend, produced by the renowned saxophonist Eleazar “Chuco” Soto, I thought I would take a look at recent Mexican jazz releases.
Lucía , album by Lucía Gutiérrez. This 2025 album is her debut as band leader with Edward Simon, Larry Grenadier, Antonio Sánchez, and David Sánchez. She uses her buttery, velvet voice to weave classic American standards with Latin American songbook and Mexican folk music, in a warm, cocktail lounge jazz vocal, but with a touch of Veracruz. It is heaven in your ears. Spanish and English. Stream on Spotify and major platforms.
Of The Near and Far, album by Patricia Brennan. 2025 This Mexican-born Brooklyn-based vibraphonist/marimbist’s album mixes jazz, chamber music, and electronics. The album is huge -a seven‑part suite built around constellations and celestial imagery, with tracks like “Antlia,” “Aquarius,” “Andromeda,” “Lyra,” and “Aquila,” plus “Citlalli” (Nahuatl for “star”) and the closer “When You Stare Into The Abyss.” Shen has always been an innovator in jazz in the US and Mexico, and this album is no exception. Parts of it are an acquired taste, and parts of just groove. Stream on Spotify and major platforms.
Made in Mexico , album by Gerry López. This is a big band album that comes off as a love letter to Mexican and Latin American musical traditions, but done in contemporary jazz. Some songs on the 2025 album, like “Bruja” grab your gut, and others, like Golfo de Mexico” are more experimental free jazz, and some like “Ojos Claros” have a jazz standards feel (until the last few measures. Stram everywhere.
Vol. IV, album by Amir Moreno & Panamerican Strings. Vol IV mixes jazz harmony, Latin American rhythm, and chamber ensemble strings in a mesmerizing adventure. Guests like Jazziri, Ricardo Amadeus, and Ingrid Beaujean(the female vocals give it a nice lilt) in lyrics that talk about light, planets, science, and life. Put on your earphones and groove to this one. Spanish. Stream on major platforms.
Magma, album by Ana Ruiz. Four songs, 1 hour and 12 minutes of music. That tells you that this is not your ordinary jazz album. Ruiz blends electronic pop, club‑leaning beats, and Latin melodies in a jazz format that is unique. She often switches between English and Spanish in the vocals and moves from sensual, slow‑burn cuts to more up-tempo, light bangers. Some would say this is not jazz, others would say that this is what jazz needs to be. I’ll go with the latter. It is an album you have to listen to. If you are a jazz fan, you will love it. If you have not dipped your toe into jazz and think everyone sounds like Dizzy Gilepsie or Ella Fitzgerald, you will be pleasantly surprised. Stream on Spotify and Pitayo Music / Bandcamp, YouTube Music, and other platforms.
Nican Tlacah, álbum byJuan Castañón, Chacal del Tamborazo, Remi Álvarez, JP Carter, Arturo Báez Velázquez. A kind of raw, live, improv album that brings together Mexico City’s experimental collective Chacal del Tamborazo with heavyweight improvisers Remi Álvarez, JP Carter, Arturo Báez Velázquez, and the renowned guitarist Juan Castañón. This is experimental, often chaotic jazz, something Castañón is known for. But at the same time, it is polished– these are master musicians, and you hear their skill in every note. Not for the faint of heart, but definitely for fans of free jazz. Stream on Bandcamp.
Patrick O’Heffernan