The African Roots of Jazz Latino with special guests Kiazi Malonga, Bongo Sidibé, Baba Moshé Milon & Lakiba Pittman
The John Santos Sextet is one of the premier Afro-Latin Jazz musical groups in the United States since their inception in 2003. They are some of the most creative musicians, composers and arrangers in the field, illuminating the aesthetic characteristics of Latin Jazz pertaining to instrumentation, rhythm, interpretation and improvisation through live performance and recording.
Their repertoire consists of original compositions and exciting original arrangements of classic rhythms, styles and songs from Latin America and the US. Their various recordings are a musical banquet celebrating the Afro-Latino roots of jazz through imaginative writing and playing in collaboration with dozens of the greatest players in the field from various countries.
Always striving to present new projects and collaborations that speak to issues of cultural and social significance, the Sextet has released nine CDs to high acclaim since 2007, mostly on John's pioneering Machete Records label (established in 1984) featuring an impressive list of Jazz and Latin guest stars such as Orestes Vilató, Jerry Gonzalez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Ray Vega, Jerry Medina, Steve Turre, Pavel Urkiza, Orlando "Maraca" Valle, Johnny Rodriguez, Nelson Gonzalez, Rico Pabon, Sandy Pérez, Tito Matos, Juan Gutierrez, Anthony Blea, Christelle Durandy, Elena Pinderhuges, Christian Nieves, Jose Roberto Hernandez, Eric Harland, Josh Jones, Pedro Pastrana and a host of others.
Their discography includes Papa Mambo (2007), Perspectiva Fragmentada (2008), Filosofía Caribeña Vol.1 (2011- 4.5 star review in Downbeat!), Filosofía Caribeña Vol.2 (2013), Siempre Clásico featuring Ernesto Oviedo (2014), Art of the Descarga (Smithsonian Folkways 2020), Filosofía Caribeña Vol.3 - A Puerto Rico Del Alma (2023), Vieja Escuela (2024), and Horizontes (2025).
Equally at home with a dance or concert repertoire, The John Santos Sextet presents a wide range of Latin American Jazz for audiences of all ages.
The members of the Sextet are:
Saúl Sierra - bass, composer, arranger
Dr. John Calloway - flute, piano, percussion, composer, arranger
Charlie Gurke - saxes, arranger
Marco Diaz - piano, trumpet, composer, arranger
David Flores - drums
John Santos - percussion, composer
You may also like the following events from The Freight:
Also check out other
Music events in Berkeley,
Entertainment events in Berkeley,
Concerts in Berkeley.
