Christian de Mesones

Christian made his debut on the national stage in 2006 performing at the Capital Jazz Festival. His band, Groove Skool was chosen from 50 entries to compete against up and coming artists such as Ken Ford, Matt Marshak and Ragan Whiteside. Groove Skool went on to release "Limited Edition” which yielded a top 10 most requested song, "Latin Jive". The band also sold out the legendary Blues Alley Jazz and Supper CLub in Washington, DC, and played large outdoor events such as the Lake Arbor Jazz Festival in Mitchellville, Maryland, and the 2nd Street Festival in Richmond, Virginia, both with crowds of over six thousand in attendance. His largest audience experienced to date was opening for Roberta Flack on Browns Island in 2000, with a record-breaking 30,000+ music fans in attendance.

With his project "BIG NEW YORK & the Smooth Jazz All-Starz", Christian continued to wow audiences with his personal vision. Said de Mesones, when asked about his vision, "Everyone gets a spotlight in this band. I like to create excitement sonically, and that means mixing it up, so the listening audience can get its money's worth."

Christian has released three singles independently, beginning with "Good Old Days" in 2015. “Latin Jive Redux,” a 2017 remix of the Groove Skool song “Latin Jive”, went to #55 on Billboard and #1 in the UK. It has remained in the top 10 for over a year on both the Moth FM/UK and 96.8 the Oasis in the USA. His 2018 release "Spirit " has climbed up to #12 with a bullet on the Smooth Jazz Media Base chart. His debut solo project, "They Call Me Big New York", is his Latin, funk, and rock-inspired multi-dimensional passion project, and is slated for release in July 2019.

Awards

Finalist, 2006 Capital Jazz Competition, Columbia MD

"I know Big NY and have experienced his sets on numerous occasions. While he has always been a perfectionist and probably his own worst critic, this concert (as I told him) was most likely his band’s best performance to date, outpacing some really solid past performances. I found the sound system to be better balanced, the set list well-chosen (this one was full of new originals yet to be released). As an entertainer, the larger-than-life bassist is quite personable and engaging during his live performances (this time, even more than usual, it seemed). Each individual member of this band also had a moment to put on a muscular display of skill, and not one disappointed