Jazz artist Christian de Mesones: Beautiful stories behind his top-chart songs
By Marivir Montebon
New York – A long-standing invitation by top chart jazz artist Christian de Mesones whisked me to Washington, DC this sweltering month of June. It was an absolute pleasure to hear him and his band play live at last at The Birchmere on June 23, 2024. I was anticipating seeing Ness Powers too, one of Christian’s special guest performers, who I had interviewed online.
Christian de Mesones at The Birchmere June 23, 2024 (Facebook grab Christian de Mesones)
Christian de Mesones, second from left, with bassists Bill Dickens and Al Caldwell and flutist Michael “Arch” Thompson (left-most).
Almost a year ago, I was introduced to the top chart songs of De Mesones – You Only Live Twice and Hispanica - by his manager Fritz Germain. The songs were beautiful and perky. That kind of music that pushes you to dance or rush a chore or bring back a memory. I immediately sought an online conversation for my podcast Conversations with MM. As great as his songs is the artist himself – clever, funny, straightforward.
De Mesones, also known as Big New York, easily relates with the ones he is in conversation with, like we did during my September podcast. He established an immediate rapport with his audience at The Birchmere, a band leader indeed. (With De Mesones in the band are: Carl Anderson, drummer; Rob Maletick, saxophonist; Craig Alston, key boardist; Eddie Montalvo, percussionist; Mike Gamble, guitarist; and Archie Thompson, flutist.)
But first of, I must give it to media practitioner Ida Campbell, the best choice for an emcee. She’s a solid stand-up comedienne who cracked me up and made us feel instantly at home and ready for the show. Acknowledging the presence of media people who featured De Mesones way before the show was thoughtful and a natural way of cementing goodwill.
Just before the show, bumped into lovely artist Ness Powers.
The amazing Ida Campbell, the emcee is a stand up comedienne too.
The Birchmere was filled to its intended capacity, after the relentless promotional stunts of De Mesones and Germain. There’s an infectious feeling of excitement when one enters an event place filled with people – laughing, conversing, and enjoying food.
Happy to see Ness Powers who’s lovelier in person. She sang her single ‘Stay’ and made me dance on my seat.
Stories behind the songs
De Mesones opened the show with You Only Live Twice, a monumental piece that I would say could easily be his music ID – tempestuous and playful. YOLT is inspired by second chances at life and love and was culled from the James Bond movie of the same title. I didn’t know there was that movie until I found the James Bond movie poster in an art gallery.
I gave the song a different title, ‘though, during my podcast with De Mesones and Germain, calling it with uncertainty, was that ‘You Only Die Twice.’ Same meaning, I argued, but truly my bad. We had a hearty laugh during the podcast.
You Only Live Twice is under the That 555 Lyfe label and dropped on April 12, 2024, making remarkable strides in the jazz charts nationwide. Hearing it personally on stage, I’d say, YOLT is De Mesones’ overture, an opening salvo of what’s to come from his creative soul.
The much older creation Hispanica landed no. 1 in the charts. Its Latin vibe is a tribute to De Mesones’ Latin roots. The sweet and mellow In His Vision is a personal favorite, and the Sexy Beast as well.
There’s one De Mesones song that I couldn’t stand listening to fully. That’s ‘Don Pedro’ which opens with a sad note, the song just triggers me to sadness, like walking through a funeral. It creates memories of my father who died during Covid-19 pandemic.
Ironically, while it creates lonely memories of my father’s last remaining days, it’s a song De Mesones dedicates to his own father. His memory of him is emancipatory, having restored a wholesome relationship after years of bitter estrangement.
All De Mesones’ music can very well be soundtracks of movies. They’re spirited and soulful. Take a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wm60WOWIck
Born and raised in Brooklyn, De Mesones started as a cartoonist, which his father wanted him to be. But his mother had cheered on him when she saw him play in his high school band. There was no turning back then. He became a rock star and later shifted to jazz. He settled in Virginia where he worked as a bus driver for a day job while developing his music.
At The Birchmere, I would have wanted to dance to the magnificent music. Next time, there must be a space for a dance floor when Christian de Mesones is playing. #
