MAREL HIDALGO SEXTET / Cape May Convention Hall / Friday, Oct 23, 2:00 pm
The Story
After stunning onlookers with his solo set at the 2023 Exit Zero Jazz Festival then taking things up a notch with his quartet in subsequent appearances the following two years at Exit Zero, 17-year-old guitar phenom Marel Hidalgo is now ready to unveil a new sextet in his fourth appearance at the annual jam on the sea in Cape May. The Neptune, New Jersey native began playing guitar at age four, making his public debut just a few months later. By the age of six, he formed his first band and in 2018 a 9-year-old Hidalgo fronted his Stone Feathers band in an appearance at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park (documented on YouTube). By age 12, Hidalgo’s attention turned toward jazz and he began emulating such guitar role models as Joe Pass, Tal Farlow and Johnny Smith while performing strictly solo. He quickly caught the attention of guitar aficionados on the East Coast and has been gigging regularly in jazz clubs ever since.
The Sound
Last year Hidalgo performed a reggae one-drop rendition of the Dave Brubeck classic “Take Five” at Carney’s. Expect more Caribbean-inspired numbers like that, along with burning jazz staples like “Cherokee,” “How High the Moon” and Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight,” when the six-string prodigy premieres his sextet at Exit Zero this year.
