They Keep on Swingin’

There is a collective of local musicians who are contributing to the spirit of Jazz in the Valley.

The RGV Jazz Collective is a nonprofit organization that promotes jazz music and musicians such as drummer Chris Razo and bassist Jose Carranza  in the Valley.

Ulysses De Leon, founder and president of the RGV Jazz Collective, started the organization after a jam session with other jazz-focused musicians which led  him to realize that there was something special among the session.

“After that happened, we were just kind of like, ‘Well, what is this community?,’” De Leon said. “I just decided ‘Let’s make it into some sort of organization.’”

Espana Nouveau Mediterranean, a gourmet restaurant in the Arts District, located on North Main Street, Mcallen, hosts the collective every week.

The RGV Jazz Collective have been performing at the restaurant since 2022, where they continued to host weekly jam sessions, inviting local musicians to perform with them.

According to De Leon, Espana has been a “hotspot” for jazz performances since the 90s. 

“They had a bigger jazz scene with a lot of older cats that still play,” De Leon said.

The collective has a rotation of different players that all jam out together at Espana, and other events such as the New Year’s Jazz Festival hosted at the Quinta Mazatlan.

Chris Razo, graduate student of Doctor of Medicine at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, performs on a regular basis with the collective. 

“Seeing the amount of talent come together in the RGV was really inspiring and kind of got me back into drums,” Razo said.

Jose Carranza, member of the RGV Jazz Collective, said he enjoys being part of the collective because of the representation of new music it gives to the RGV.

“I came from a high school with no jazz ensembles or anyone who had any experience,” Carranza said. “I had gotten lucky that Ulysses and the other founders of the RGV Jazz Collective started doing all these jazz nights.”

 Along with live performances, the collective hosts workshops for aspiring musicians and high schoolers who are preparing for different jazz competitions hosted throughout Texas.

In 2024, the collective collaborated with the University of Kingsville to help out students from all over the RGV by teaching them different skills needed for jazz performance.

The RGV Jazz Collective performs from 8 p.m. to midnight Fridays at Espana Nouveau Mediterranean, which is located on 701 N Main St, McAllen, TX 78501.