The Marcos Varela Jazz Trio performance in Zapata on Feb. 2, the inaugural event of the Zapata County Tourism Board, filled the Zapata County Museum of History with the rhythms of swing, blues, and improvisation.
The performance was the first leg of bassist Varela’s San Ygnacio Tour. He was accompanied by Emilio Modeste of Los Angeles on the sax and NYC drummer Michael Ode. The tour continued to Houton, Austin, Santa Fe, and Taos
Varela, who has familial ties to the founders of SanYgnacio, visited with members of Zapata High School’s Mariachi Halcón after the set. He is regarded as a master of both acoustic and electric bass, and stands among the most respected bassists in the American and international jazz scenes today. He is considered a deeply expressive player and an adventurous composer.
Sponsors of the concert were On Point Taxes y Mas, Arnold Tire, Cornerstone Realty, Los Corralitos Ranch, Los Pasteles Bakery, IBC Bank, J.O. Dodier, Sara Rathmell, Joe Rathmell, and Sandra Santa María. The event raised $7,000 for the Museum.
The Zapata Tourism Board plans to host additional cultural events that increase tourism and generate revenues for local businesses. The Museum will be hosting a four-week genealogy workshop each Thursday from February 19 to March 12. In April, the Museum will host a reading of Carlos Nicolas Flores’ Pillars of Creation, a novel set in a fictional town called Escandon modelled after Zapata.
