It’s live and happening: uptown, downtown & all-around town

Mazatlan has a cornucopia of songful “Guillermoboard” picks even if gringos and locals can’t claim it is the Mecca of Mexican music. Rich in the spirit of Carnaval, Maz satiates turistas, expatriates and mazatlecos with delectable dollops of musical mélanges.

The karaoke crowd at Puerto Viejo is a joie de vivre every Tuesday and Thursday evening, 6:30-10:30 p.m. and DJ “Mr. Ed” Cunningham is a fine crooner, tambien. Alison Cunningham, Ed’s esposa, is hostess. The music covers jazz standards, R&R, C&W, and a grand selection of Spanish songs.

Besides being one of the finest elbow-bending sites to catch the serenity of a Pacifico cerveza, uh, sunset, Puerto Viejo offers the opportunity to make friends with Londoners, Canadians, Americans and gregarious Mexicans. Venture there to giggle with the gaggle of Rubye, Dee, Carl, Rosalinda, Stella, Penny, Rioh, Sonia, Ernesto, Alma, et al while singing, listening and catching U.S./Canadian sports on TV. Puerto Viejo, in Olas Altas by the Freeman Hotel, also has a Beatles tribute band Fridays.

Rob Lamonica is a superb pianist who tinkles the ivories with a suave artisan’s pizazz. Ensconced in the Maz music scene for more than six years, Rob is the Blackbeard of the 88 keys. Catch him with a jazz quartet Thursdays and Saturdays at Pedro y Lola’s restaurant in the Plaza Machado, or at Canucks in Olas Altas on Mondays and Fridays. Rob also plays solo at P&L on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays starting at 7 p.m.

Canucks slapped its first musical and dining pucks in 2003, opened by Phil and Terri Nevile, formerly of Winnipeg, Canada, and mazatleco Raymundo Casaos Cano. Phil is another superb keyboardist who sings “God Bless the Child” and other classics with pro politesse, not like a mere dilettante. Canucks, on Paseo Claussen, is across from the beach near the “Mujer Mazatleca” statue and the cliff divers.

Al Dieste, phenomenal flugel horn (think pregnant trumpet) player, e-mailed that he’ll be returning to Maz for three weeks in November. Cuban-born Dieste is a retired California school administrator who rents out his condo in Cerritos when absent. It takes a sizzling horn to be able to sit in with the Buena Vista Social Club, one of the top jazz bands in Havana; he did and has the press releases, with his gleaming smile alongside these famed Cubans, to back it up.

Dieste, a dashingly posh and popular musician when he treks here, often gigged at Pedro y Lola’s and performs in Nuevo Mazatlan, too, at the Seafarer restaurant. Dieste is an accomplished singer and prides himself on knowing vast jazz history. He likes to sing lesser-known jazz tunes along with standards. If you’re wandering through the Plazuela Machado in November and hear the soul of a “mellow trumpet,” that just might be Dieste’s flugel.

One of the hippest spots in Centro is La Tertulia (“meeting place”), often called the bullfighter bar, a block from Plazuela Machado on Constitucion towards the beach. Many of the staff are Forcados Mazatlecos, who confront the bull on foot and stop him from charging. (Check out the photos hanging on the walls.) These macho hombres pack the corner bar even on weeknights. Thrifty beer and tequila prices and multi-screens that often have hip music videos of Mexican celebs make Tertulia a fave. Thursday nights, Tertulia rocks the upstairs and balconies with Suncai, a local flamenco-style band, followed by a mariachi group in the wee, wee hours.

In the Golden Zone, check out the music scene at Mr. Tony’s with live bands every night, 9 p.m. until the crowd dwindles. The polished house band, Mr. Tony’s, typically plays Tuesday through Saturday. Other Zona Dorada haunts are Jungle Juice, with an eclectic style of bands; Fat Fish with a guitarist/singer some afternoons and evenings; the Purple Onion with Friday karaoke and a Country & Western singer on Saturday evenings; and Heather’s Place, featuring star impersonators and more.

Mix ‘n mingle and embrace a pixiated, foudroyant evening on the town!

Cozy Baker has been a columnist and contributing editor for many publications for equally many years, and is a musician and gonzo participant in many of the local scenes he writes about. Cozy flew Naval Aviation, toiled in aerospace defense, is a scuba master trainer and resides in Mazatlan when not on assignment or gigging in the U.S. Send news to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .