Thanksgiving on a Mexican beach with cool jazz and tropical breezes

November 13, 12:40 AMSF Active Seniors Travel ExaminerCarol Canter

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Sacbe performing at 2008 Riviera Maya Jazz Festival
C. Canter

Ready to trade Thanksgiving feasting for some cool jazz on a warm sultry beach? Head south to the 7th annual Riviera Maya Jazz Festival in Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

There on a sugar white beach called Mamitas  you can soak up the sounds of Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Pat Martino, Spyro Gyra and more. Think music with swaying palms, turquoise seas, toes-in-the-sand and FREE!

The crowd is a mellow mix of young and old, families and friends, Yucatan locals, Mexican nationals and visitors from the U.S. and around the world. Last year some 30,000 attended the nightly concerts, headlined by Billy Cobham, David Sanborn, Earl Klugh and Fourplay.

Hector Infanzon, a name unfamiliar to most north-of-the-border aficionados, is one of Mexico's great jazz pianist/composers. He stole the show the night he performed last year. Infanzon, who has toured with Ricky Martin and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Carlos Santana and Jose Feliciano, introduced elements of the huapango, a traditional musical style popular in Veracruz on Mexico’s gulf coast.

“I’m translating to the piano the strong percussive and melodic rhythms of traditional instruments like the arpas (type of harp), jaranas and viheulas (both guitar-like instruments) and violins used in the huapango,” says Infanzon. His CD called Cittadino, which translates as “one from the city” includes huapango influences in an Afro-Caribbean mix.

The chance to hear jazz interpreted across cultural boundaries is one of the festival’s great strengths. The opportunity to share the sands with fans from around the world is another.

The balmy breezes are the icing on the cake.
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Here is the lineup for this year’s festival. Once again it combines legends like Herbie Hancock and Al Jarreau with groups largely unknown in the U.S. groups like Na’Rimbo, who bring the essence of the traditional marimba to Latin jazz.

November 25 – The Royal Band, Colin Hunter, Aguamala, Sacbe
November 26 – Na’Rimbo, Juan Alzate, Mark Aanderud, Enrique Nery
November 27 – Jim Beard, Spyro Gyra and Sergio Mendes
November 28 – Pat Martino, Herbie Hancock and Al Jarreau

Mexico's Riviera Maya is a fast-developing destination that starts south of Cancun and stretches 80 miles further south along the Yucatan peninsula's sparkling Caribbean coastline. Along the way are tranquil seaside villages, small Mayan communities and Playa del Carmen, the former village that's now the region's sophisticated tourism center

The Riviera Maya offers a mix of lodging from value-priced all inclusives to bungalows-on-the-beach to  brand new high luxe resorts created along mangrove-lined lagoons.

With beaches, lagoons and a network of underground rivers with over 100 cenotes (a sinkhole or underwater cave whose roof has collapsed),  the Riviera Maya is a paradise for adventure travel. Some guided exploration is possible within Sian Ka'an, Mexico's first Biosphere Reserve, which protects 1.3 million acres. Those with a passion for archeology can explore Tulum, the only Mayan citadel built by the sea, and Coba, whose extensive ruins emerge from the jungle.