Two approaches to Latin music. Jenny and the Mexicats and Alexandra Jackson

Atlanta-based Alexandra Jackson is a classically trained pianist, whose heart and talent has turned to bossa nova, jazz and the Latin beats. She comes by her talent and her heart honestly: her grand aunt was Mattiwilda Dobbs, the African American coloratura soprano who was one of the first black singers to enjoy a major international career in opera and as the daughter of Atlanta’s first Black major, her household was filled with the music of Miles Davis, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Michael Jackson, as well as that of Johnny Hartman, Luciano Pavarotti, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.  Alexandra studied Jazz at the University of Miami, where she was exposed to Brazilian Jazz and performed  with Latin bands and Brazilian ensembles and later in Jazz festivals in the U.S. and in Europe. Her debut project: Alexandra Jackson: Legacy & Alchemy channels  her musical loves and experiences: Brazilian Music, American Jazz & Soul, NeoSoul, and London Soul Jazz for contemporary audiences worldwide.

Jenny and the Mexicats was formed 10 years ago in Madrid Spain by an English woman, two Mexicans and a Spaniard, fusing nationalities and personalities. Jenny, a professional trumpeter, linked with Icho, who played double bass, Pantera a guitarist, who loves punk bands and had played  with Icho for many years in Mexico. Pantera then introduced the band to Spanish cajon player David from the world of flamenco. The first album, the bilingual Gold Medal-winning  Jenny And The Mexicats was released in 2011, they moved to Mexico City in 2012, and in 2014 they released their second album, OME.  From then on Jenny and the Mexicats  became known on three continents for  a musical combination that mixes rhythms of jazz, rockabilly, folk, flamenco, reggae, "veracruzano", country and cumbia.