Summer Heats Up In the Bay
I wanted to note all the fine music that is coming to the San Francisco Bay Area during the next few weeks. Renowned flautist/bandleader/composer/arranger Orlando “Maraca” Valle will be visiting us this week on Wednesday through Friday over at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. He will be leading his Cuban based band performing his distinctive style of cuban salsa, timba and latin jazz. He usually leads a top notch band so look out for the musical fireworks! The annual El Dia De San Juan scholarship benefit concert will take place at History Park in San Jose on Saturday, June 25 featuring the sounds of 2 L.A. based bands Angel Lebron y Sabor Latino and Tabaco Y Ron. My radio station KPFA is sponsoring three great free shows at the annual Stern Grove Festival which takes place every Sunday during the summer at the beautiful Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Avenue & Sloat Blvd in San Francisco. The shows include the Jazz Mafia Symphony with renowned rapper Chali 2Na formerly of Ozomatli and Jurassic 5 on June 26; Afrocubism, an all-star collaboration between Cuban and Malian music icons plus the Bay’s own Pellejo Seco on July 10 and famed Spanish musician/producer Javier Limon and vocal sensation Buika plus Brazilian songstress Luisa Maita on August 14. For more information, visit...
Read MoreIt’s Already June..I had my Carnaval Blast!
It’s rainy June in the SF Bay Area. Carnaval SF during Memorial Day weekend in the bay is already a memory. This year I was asked by SFCAT who has been producing the event for the past two years to emcee their 17th Street main stage and serve as a consultant with their entertainment committee. The entertainment that was picked this year led to two days of exciting shows focusing on local gold with great salsa, Brazilian, funk, Latin Pop, reggaeton and world music bands exemplified by fine performances by the Venezuelan Music Project, the 19 piece Pacific Mambo Orchestra, Ronkat and Katdelic, Aquarella and Grupo Samba Rio, Dos Four, Mazacote, Panjea, Samba Da and others. Unfortunately, the rain came late on Saturday afternoon to wash out the scheduled performances of Team Bahia, Avance and L.A’.s Very Be Careful. The exciting performances of La Moderna Tradicion, Too Smooth and Sandy Perez were cut short by the police at the end of the event which marred a great day of parade, sun and fun. It was great to say hello to so many friends and public that made Carnaval so special this...
Read MoreWelcome To My Mambo
The 19 piece Pacific Mambo Orchestra has been making quite a splash in the SF Bay Area since starting their Monday night residency at Cafe Cocomo, one of SF’s major salsa palaces last November. Led by pianist Christian Tumalan and trumpeter Stefan Kuehn, this mighty band has been making Monday night a scene. Not that Tumalan and Kuehn are not busy…Tumalan leads Montuno Swing, a smaller band that’s been making quite a buzz and Kuehn, part of Mazacote, an explosive band led by former Willie Colon timbalero Louie Romero. Pacific Mambo has been boasting all star players in their ranks such as timbalero Karl Perrazo of Santana, vocalist-percussionist Omar Ledesma, saxophonist Pete Cornell and trombonist Mike Rinta. Not only are they playing classic mambo and latin jazz from the Tito Puente and Machito songbook but they are performing original material as well. The idea of maintaining a big band of that size in this day and age of tough economic times is amazing but also inspiring. The band was recently part of a live broadcast on my Saturday night program Con Sabor on KPFA 94.1 FM. They were swinging, exciting and powerful. However, Pacific Mambo Orchestra is not the only mambo in town. Bandleader Tito Garcia has been leading his smaller Orquesta Internacional for many years playing classic mambos and salsa. But the sight of seeing 13 horns wailing on stage has been driving a new and devoted audience to spend their Monday nights at...
Read MoreBack From Vacation to Grammy Reality
I’m back everyone from my blog vacation. A lot has happened since we last checked in. Latin Jazz and 30 other categories have been dropped from the Grammys. A big blow to the Latin Jazz genre that ranges from established giants as 9 time Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri to young upstarts such as Alfredo Rodriguez who have been making important recordings that has contributed to a current world wide Latin Jazz renaissance. Palmieri and percussionist-educator Bobby Sanabria in New York and locally, John Santos are leading the fight to have the category restored. The category was established in 1996 when Palmieri was governor of the N.Y. chapter. N.A.R.A.S., the academy that oversees the Grammys claims that there weren’t enough music submissions from the categories to justify their existence. But the Academy’s motives are being questioned due to lack of notice and transparency in dropping the categories without first informing its members according to Santos. It’s suspicious that this major decision comes on the heels of the Best New Artist category being awarded to jazz wunderkind Esperanza Spalding instead of massive teen idol Justin Beiber. The Grammys were full of surprises this year much to the apparent chagrin of the pop music establishment. Beiber’s manager took out a full page ad in the N.Y. Times criticizing the Grammys stating that they were out of touch. The Academy then reacted weeks later with the announcement of the category changes. The Academy’s decision sets up a policy that supposably now only the best of the jazz genre (including Latin Jazz artists) will have the opportunity to win the “real” jazz category. However that argument doesn’t take into account that the streamlining of categories will make it harder for deserving artists to get the recognition and honor of a Grammy nomination for their work. Santos and members of the Bay Area’s Latin Jazz community vow to fight until the category is restored. For more information on this issue…go to...
Read MoreLive Appearances
Follow Luis on
Follow Luis on