Results for "Latin Jazz"

Debora Galán

Spanish vocalist and song-writer Debora Galan has performed on both coasts of the United States as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Spain, covering a variety of genres including Latin, jazz, R & B and contemporary Christian music. Currently residing in San Diego, she performs frequently on the West Coast as a guest vocalist and with her own ensemble, Silk. The group features some of Southern California’s leading musicians. Before moving to San Diego, she began her professional career in Washington, D.C. in Latin jazz and salsa clubs, performing with top-ranked bands and opening for major artists. Galan’s first album as a leader, All About Love (2016) features ten original compositions exploring the various aspects of love, from enchantment to heartbreak

Pat Sprakes

Born: March 17, 1967

Pat Sprakes cut his jazz teeth with Tony Kofi, Darius Brubeck and has performed for Robben Ford. As a guitarist, his biggest influences are Wes Montgomery and George Benson, and he has a great love of latin rhythms. He is an excellent accompanist as well as a clear and melodic soloist.

Andy Lutkoff

Born: May 6, 1951

Andy Lutkoff has been performing in SW Florida for over 25 years. He has performed with many of SW Florida’s top musicians including Joe Delaney, Jay Heavilin, Kevin Mauldin, Trimble McCullough, Doug Kirschner, Mickey Basil, Dave Morgan, Michael Baer, Tim Goodman, Brad Brown, and David Sarchet. In addition to leading various trios and quartets with the musicians above, Andy has lead the groups Straight Ahead and Saxdance. Both groups have been featured at Lee County Alliance of the Arts as well as at many venues in SW Florida. Andy is originally from NYC, but grew up in Richmond, Virginia

Melvin Quinones

Born: November 6, 1973

Melvin Quinones, also known as Melvin Llord, started studying saxophone by age 11, with the idea of someday playing in the local church's band. He never made it to that group, but that didn't discourage him from his passion for music. By the age of 15, he was recording music with local bands and slowly gaining popularity as one of the best sax players in western Puerto Rico. At 17, his talent was discovered by Andrew Ruiz, one of the most popular band directors in Puerto Rico, who quickly extended him an invitation to play with international Latin star Wilkins. At a young age, he shared the stage with Puerto Rico’s finest artists, such as Marc Anthony, Ednita Nazario and Gilberto Santarrosa, among others. He joined the 248th Army Band at 19

Brian Ford

Michael Simon

Born: January 14, 1975

Michael Simon's exposure to music started at a very young age. His father, Hadsy Simon, a guitarist and singer (who started it all), and his brothers Edward (pianist) and Marlon (drummer) kept the music environment in the house and supported him throughout his studies. At the age of fourteen, Michael started taking trumpet lessons as well as musical theory and solfege lessons at a local music school in Valencia (Venezuela), and later started gaining on-stage experience playing with local (popular music) bands. Troughout this period, his brothers encouraged him to listen to Jazz, which drove him to a desire for new goals

Martin Turkis

Born: November 28, 1977

Martin Turkis is a double bassist, composer, and bandleader working out of San Francisco in genres such as salsa dura, son, mambo, and latin as well as straight-ahead jazz. He is the musical director of Conjunto Elefante - a salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz combo. He also leads the jazz-ska outfit Revolutionary Dictature.

Bobby Ramirez

In 2018, Bobby Ramirez celebrated 40 years as a performing artist and community service. Virtuoso Cuban musician, flutist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, vocalist and educator, Maestro Bobby Ramirez was born in Camajuani, Santa Clara, Cuba. His father was a black mulato of African heritage and mother a descendant of Spanish European heritage. For more than four decades, his style has been distinctive and unique, forming a perfect harmony between the rhythms of his Cuban Creole heritage, Jazz, and classical music.

Maestro Bobby Ramirez is a unique and charismatic artist that performs Cuban music (Danzón, Contradanzas, traditional Cuban dance music, and Afro-Cuban Jazz), and Jazz (swing, bebop, free jazz). Ramirez's repertoire includes original Cuban inspired works for small Cuban charanga-style ensemble, as well as full string and Big Band orchestra formats.

Rocky Yera

Born: August 22, 1983

Award winning, Cuban born tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger Rocky Yera began his musical journey at the age of twelve. Since his early years, Rocky received his main influences and musical guidance from multi-Grammy Award winning producer Richard Aspinwall. Rocky's other significant musical influences include Cannonball Adderley, Ed Calle, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Joshua Redman, Chris Potter, Jeff Coffin, Lenny Pickett, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Edward Van Halen. Rocky has been acknowledged with several awards throughout his career. As a high school student at New World School of the Arts, he was awarded the Downbeat Magazine Outstanding Performance award in 2000

Ricardo Bacelar

Born: July 19, 1967

Brazilian jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar makes a “Live” statement with “Nothing Will Be As It Was” His “Live in Rio” album drops August 21 preceded by the single that aptly reflects our times Brazil is leading the world per capita in coronavirus cases making it unlikely that people will be cramming into a concert venue anytime soon to hear live music.

Then there is the recent unrest that erupted in response to civil injustices in the US that bodes to spark meaningful change around the world. These are the events that inspired contemporary jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar to release a new version of the Milton Nascimento classic “Nothing Will Be As It Was (Nada Sera Como Antes)” as a single ahead of the release of his “Live in Rio (Ao Vivo No Rio)” album, which drops August 21 from Bacelar Productions. “‘Nothing Will Be As It Was’ summarizes the existential questions raised globally by the coronavirus pandemic. Add to it the civil injustice and unrest that has surfaced over the last couple of weeks with Black Lives Matter, which is an especially important movement. We’re talking about the subject here in Brazil, too. We have a lot of problems with racism here, but our people have not yet taken the streets to protest and have social demonstrations. The world is watching the United States and people are talking about these issues everywhere,” said Bacelar who produced the 11-song “Live in Rio” collection.