Lila Downs

Biography
Articles

Lila Downs At Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
October 24, 2026

Lila Downs Miner Auditorium San Francisco, CA October 18, 2026 Before Grammy-winning Mexican American singer Lila Downs sang a note at SFJAZZ last Sunday, the audience was offered something practical: a reminder to know their rights. In a video projected above the stage, Downs spoke in Spanish about the challenges facing her community and encouraged listeners to stay informed about changes affecting their families and neighbors. She directed them to resources from the ...

Live Review

Lila Downs at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn

by Ernest Barteldes
July 9, 2017

Lila Downs BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park Brooklyn, NY June 29, 2017 Backed initially by an eight-piece band directed by saxophonist (and husband) Paul Cohen, singer, songwriter and activist Lila Downs began her set with an up-tempo rendition of “Mezcalito," a tune that talks about mezcal, Mexico's lesser-known cousin of tequila. She kept things up-tempo until she got to the classic ballad “Cucurrucu Paloma" written my Mexican songwriter Tomás Méndez in ...

Live Review

Lila Downs at Jazz at Lincoln Center

by Ernest Barteldes
October 19, 2014

Lila Downs Jazz At Lincoln Center New York, NY October 11, 2014 On her two-day residence at Jazz At Lincoln Center, Lila Downs showcased a solid set of old favorites alongside new material from Raiz (Sony Latin, 2014), a collaboration with singers Soledad and Niña Pastori. Backed by an eight-piece band rounded out by Paul Cohen (Musical Director/tenor saxophone), Jugo Moreno (trumpet), George Saenz (trombone & accordion), Leo Soqui (accordion/keys/jarana and shoe ...