Alex Mercado Trio at FIMU Belfort and the Lille Piano(s) Festival

In June 2019, Mexican pianist Alex Mercado came to France with his trio from Mexico City, Israel Cupich on double bass and Gabriel Puentes on drums, for three concerts at two festivals: FIMU in Belfort and the Lille Piano(s) Festival.

FIMU, Belfort

The trio was selected by the jury of the Festival International de Musique Universitaire (FIMU), in Belfort. It played twice: on Saturday 8 June 2019 at 17:30 at the Théâtre Granit, and on Sunday 9 June 2019 at 19:30 on the Scène Jazz, place de la Révolution française.

Lille Piano(s) Festival

On Friday 14 June 2019, the trio played the Lille Piano(s) Festival, organised by the Orchestre National de Lille, in the Salle Québec of the Nouveau Siècle. The programme was made of Alex Mercado’s own compositions. Earlier that day, at noon, Alex Mercado gave a masterclass for secondary school pupils, explaining how a jazz trio works and how the music is built on stage.

The music

The concerts drew on Paisajes, Alex Mercado’s fourth album, released in 2017 by Fonarte Latino and recorded in Mexico City with the same rhythm section: nine compositions inspired by Mexican landscapes. A year earlier, the trio had played the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam.

Photos

Line-up and dates