CRIS ALCOCER & THE MAJAZZ
Cris Alcocer performing with percussion instruments from the Mayab
Fromthe MayabYucatán · Mexico
Cris Alcocer & The Majazz · Mérida, Yucatán

Jazz fromthe Mayab

An original Latin jazz vision created by Cris Alcocer in Yucatán—where tunkul, pre-Hispanic instruments and Afro-Cuban rhythms meet contemporary jazz. Available as a six-piece ensemble, with the project’s regular drummer or featuring Horacio “El Negro” Hernández.

Request booking details & availability ↗Watch the live performance ↗
Festival booking · Yucatán to the world
Original Latin Jazz✳Pre-Hispanic instruments✳Roots of the Mayab✳Afro-Cuban rhythms✳Yucatán · Mexico
The project

Rooted in the Mayab.
Spoken through jazz.

Created by Cris Alcocer in Mérida, Yucatán, The Majazz brings Mexican musical traditions into conversation with jazz, pre-Hispanic sounds and Afro-Cuban rhythms. The tunkul and percussion traditions of the Mayab are part of its musical language, alongside original compositions, contemporary harmony and improvisation. The result is locally rooted and internationally minded: a meeting of musical worlds shaped into one unmistakable sound.

An original idea by Cris AlcocerPre-Hispanic instrumentsInfluenced by the MayabLatin jazz
Live at Mérida Fest · with Horacio “El Negro” Hernández

Mi Súplica
(Live)

An original composition by Cris Alcocer, performed live with Horacio “El Negro” Hernández. A first look at the energy, musical identity and scale of the project on stage.

Mi Súplica (Live)Cris Alcocer & The Majazz feat. Horacio “El Negro” Hernández · Mérida Fest
Featured collaboration

Utopía Maya

A studio and visual collaboration bringing Cris Alcocer’s original vision together with Horacio “El Negro” Hernández.

Utopía MayaCris Alcocer & The Majazz feat. Horacio “El Negro” Hernández
The creative path behind The Majazz

Esencia Mestiza
Demo Reel

A long-form look at Esencia Mestiza, an earlier chapter in Cris Alcocer’s creative path toward The Majazz.

Esencia Mestiza Project Demo ReelCris Alcocer · Original Mexican jazz and musical roots
Flexible lineups for festival programmers

Two formats.
One musical root.

Two six-piece versions of the same project: the original Majazz lineup with its regular drummer, or a special edition featuring Horacio “El Negro” Hernández.

01
Six-piece · Original edition

Cris Alcocer
& The Majazz

The original project, led by Cris Alcocer, with the band’s regular drummer. Original compositions connect Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms with the pre-Hispanic sounds of the Mayab.

Lineup: drums, piano, bass, saxophone, violin and percussion.

Request the original sextet ↗
02
Six-piece · Featuring Horacio Hernández

The Majazz
with Horacio

The same six-piece ensemble, featuring multi-Grammy-winning drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernández. His collaboration with Cris Alcocer is captured in “Utopía Maya” and adds a new dimension to the project’s original music.

Lineup: Horacio Hernández on drums, piano, bass, saxophone, violin and percussion.

Request the Horacio sextet ↗
Available for: festivals · concert series · cultural programsYucatán → International stages
International collaborators · Recordings · Recognition

A singular project
with a growing reach.

Two album releases, audiences in Europe and the United States, coverage in New York, and a special collaboration with Horacio “El Negro” Hernández. The Majazz pairs a sound born in Yucatán with a growing international story.

Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández, featured collaborator
Horacio “El Negro” HernándezSpecial guest collaborator · Drums
David Pastor performing on trumpet
David PastorTrumpet · recording and live collaborator
Robbin Blanco with guitar
Robbin BlancoFeatured collaborator · Esencia Mestiza
Gabriel Espinosa
Gabriel EspinosaFeatured collaborator · Esencia Mestiza
Paco Rodríguez Azorín with French horn
Paco Rodríguez AzorínFrench horn · recording collaborator
Artists who have performed and recorded with the project
Horacio “El Negro” HernándezDavid PastorPaco Rodríguez AzorínRobbin BlancoJuanjo PastorOsmani ColladoRomeo RodríguezGabriel EspinosaGabriel VelázquezNoor ChereeDan Rose

And other artists who have contributed to the project.

Full El Diario NY press clipping about Cris Alcocer and Esencia Mestiza
New York press · September 18, 2016

Featured by El Diario NY

The New York publication profiled Cris Alcocer and Esencia Mestiza for their search for a new Mexican music—bringing together tradition, jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms. The article documents the artistic journey behind the vision that continues today in The Majazz.

“Esencia Mestiza seeks to open doors for New Mexican Music”
Listen to the project

Jazz with
a sense of place.

Explore the music of Cris Alcocer & The Majazz: original compositions, collaborations and soundscapes shaped in Yucatán.

Listen to the festival selection ↗
Contemporary Latin jazz
from the MayabMérida, Yucatán · Mexico
The vision of Cris Alcocer

An original idea.
A living root.

Composer, arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist and director of The Majazz, Cris Alcocer has toured as a drummer with Armando Manzanero, Tania Libertad, Amanda Miguel, Diego Verdaguer, Ana Cirré, María Medina, Eugenia León and Susana Zabaleta. In 2017, he served as musical director for P&O Australia, touring across the continent. His composition “Huapango for Friends” received a Los Angeles Music Award. The Majazz has released two albums with audiences in Europe and the United States. Its sound brings the tunkul and pre-Hispanic instruments into Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms as an essential part of the musical language.

Festivals · Concerts · Cultural programs

Bring this music
to your stage.

For festival programming, bookings, availability, technical requirements or the full press kit, contact us directly.

WhatsApp: +52 999 345 1240 ↗Booking contact ↗