The Salty Paw Jazz Orchestra is coming of age fast! Officially established in September 2016, only 5 months ago, the band has already been invited to perform the first Sunday of every month at the JAZZ FOUNDATION, Allende 116, el Centrol, Puerto Vallarta, just a few feet off the Malecon and across the street from La Bodegita del Medio. Performance time will be 7 pm. A Supporting Fee of 100 pesos, in lieu of a cover charge, will be directly donated to the band.
While the usual big band orchestra is comprised of 18 musicians, the Salty Paw Jazz Orchestra has grown to 27 members and has already given several fundraising concerts – at Act II Stages in Puerto Vallarta, The Breakers Beach Club Restaurant and Bar in Bucerias, and at Plaza Caracol in Puerto Vallarta. Concerts at the Jazz Foundation are scheduled for the first Sunday of the month, 12 months a year.
The “Salty Paw Jazz Orchestra” or “Pata Salada Orquesta de Jazz” is a Big Band style orchestra mainly consisting of young musicians learning improvisation. When several talented young musicians heard the Puerto Vallarta Big Band play on the Malecon, they were inspired to form a jazz workshop. Led by Director Victor Kris, it quickly evolved into a full jazz ensemble – and went beyond, for it expanded over and above the usual jazz instrumentation, and includes violins, flutes and clarinets, adding creative new musical dimensions to the ensemble. Shortly afterwards, the founding members voted to name the jazz orchestra “Salty Paw” or “Pata Salada,” which means a person from Puerto Vallarta.