Live Music in Antigua

Jazz, blues, Latin, rock and reggae: it’s another Saturday night in Antigua, where local bands play a wide mix of music in even more varied settings almost every night.

Many of the songs are original, while the covers are so personalized that you don’t recognize the tune until halfway through the number.

Live Jazz at The Ocelot

On Wednesday nights from 8-10 PM, hear live jazz music at The Ocelot, which opened in Antigua in June, 2010.

Giovanni Pinzon at JP’s RumBar

At JP’s RumBar and Beer Garden in May, the outdoor setting was an intimate mini-concert of sorts, with seating in the beer garden and the second-floor terrace. Three other acts led up to the main event.

Headlining the bill was local legend Giovanni Pinzon, whose fiery vocals and tight four-man guitar band distinguish the group’s Latin-flavored work. If Pinzon ever met up with Tony Montana from Scarface, Montana would likely say, “I like you, Giovanni, you sing from the heart.”

The High Commanders

Down the street at El Chaman ( 7th Avenue and 5th), El Chaman’s house band, ruled the night from their roost on the rooftop terrace overlooking the San Agustin ruins. Shadows flickered across the jam-packed dance floor as The High Commanders, led by Julio on guitar, conjured up a high energy blend of Marley, Hendrix and Santana.

The band, called THC for short, segued from one song to the next, rarely stopping throughout the set. “Psychedelic reggae” is what Julio calls their sound, one that kept the crowd jumping until late in the night.

El Chaman and JP’s feature live music several nights each week and should be high on your list of things to do in Antigua, and are relatively new bars that have not yet been listed in the travel guides and are therefore not as touristy.

We will drop in on Cafe No Se in the future for more coverage of Antigua’s thriving music scene. Other venues with live music in Antigua include La Sala, Pena Sol Latino, and Panza Verde.