JOHN MAESTAS, JOHN FUNKHOUSER, ASHER BARRERAS & ARNALDO ACOSTA
Arnaldo Acosta, Asher Barreras and John Maestas began playing together at a weekly jam session 20 years ago at Ben Michael's Restaurant in Albuquerque. Los Compadres have been forging a deep musical bond for 20+ years since then, exploring jazz, Latin jazz, New Orleans funk, and moving seamlessly all over the stylistic map. New Mexico newcomer John Funkhouser joined these stellar musicians more recently at Ben Michael's weekly sessions, adding a bit of Northeast flavor to the mix, and rounding out a dynamic and supple quartet.
John Maestas:
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and based in New Orleans, Juan Tigre is the alter-ego of musician/producer John Maestas. Primarily a guitarist, he started his career first as a sideman to many inspiring contemporary young artists performing original music, while also accompanying and learning from New Orleans legacy artists who keep the traditions of their city’s music alive and thriving. He has been playing music professionally for 20 years, and though he primarily works in the music industry focusing on writing, producing, performing and releasing records, he is also an adjunct professor of guitar studies at Tulane University where he works with individual students and group classes. He has become known as a versatile music producer working in studios and playing onstage for an eclectic mix of world-class artists of including Trombone Shorty, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, Taj Mahal, Big Boi (Outkast), Harry Connick Jr., Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra), Allen Stone, David Shaw (The Revivalists), Mannie Fresh, Juvenile, Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros), Nicholas Payton, Branford Marsalis, Christian 'Atunde Adjuah' Scott, Cyrille Neville, The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, MonoNeon, Maurice Brown, Elzhi, Pell, Nesby Phips, Fiend and many others. In 2016, Maestas co-founded an indie record label, Bubble Bath Records, which helped to educate, elevate & empower over twenty young artists in navigating the music industry, along with being a platform to release his own music. Juan Tigre has released two full length albums, the high-desert psychedelic rock album 'The Dream Catcher' (2020), the more ambient/electronic sounds of 'Azúl Arriba, Blue Below' (2022), and a library of sound samples entitled "Modern Guitar Psychedelia" on Splice. John Maestas is an official endorser of MONO Cases and JAM Pedals.
John Funkhouser:
A native of the Boston, MA area, pianist, bassist, composer and educator John Funkhouser has shared the stage with Joe Lovano, Steve Gadd, Charles Neville, Bobby Watson, Esperanza Spalding, Luciana Souza, Tierney Sutton, Geri Allen, Francisco Mela, Rudresh Mahanthappa, as well as many of New Mexico’s most beloved musicians like Delbert Anderson, Matt Brewer, Hillary Smith, Bobby Shew, Doug Lawrence, John Maestas, Alex Murzyn, Glenn Kostur, Tracey Whitney, John Trentacosta, and the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra. He has played on over 85 CD and video recordings, including five CDs and two video projects as leader. Funkhouser has performed at clubs and festivals all over the world, including the Blue Note, Birdland, and Dizzy’s in New York City, as well as the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, the Toulon Jazz Festival, and the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival. John has toured extensively in North and Central America, including 39 U.S. states, as well as Europe, Southeast Asia, and South Africa. He has appeared on ABC’s “20/20,” NBC’s “Today Show,” and National Public Radio. He taught piano, bass, ear training and ensembles at Berklee College of Music in Boston from 2001-2021. Funkhouser retired from Berklee and moved to Albuquerque, NM in 2021, where he keeps a busy schedule of performing with NM's finest musicians, and teaching. Visit johnfunkhouser.com for more info.
Asher Barreras:
Asher Barreras grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has enjoyed playing and studying music for over 25 years. He started on the violin and studied many of the string and percussion instruments including: bass, cello, guitar, piano, and drums. He also studied music and bass at the Conservatori de Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, under professor Horacio Fumero from 2008-2009. Asher received his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies, training in music and bass performance under professor Lynn Seaton and Jeff Bradetich at the University of North Texas, cum laude 2010. He has been a professional traveling musician, teacher, and composer for close to 17 years. After living in New York City and Cundy’s Harbor, Maine, he returned home to ABQ where he hosted the Ben Michael’s jam every Tuesday night and played bass with all the greats in and around his hometown, until last fall when he moved with his wife to Virginia. Welcome home for this special concert, Asher! Albuquerque has missed you.
Arnaldo Acosta:
Arnaldo was born to the rhythms of the Dominican Republic but one of his earliest inspirations came through the television from America. He saw the famous tap dancer Gregory Hines in a movie and excitedly told his family tap dancing was what he intended to do with his life. His sister flat out told him that wasn't a good career choice and his young dream was crushed. But that didn't deter him – he would soon find his beat. His older brother was already an established drummer in Santo Domingo and by the age of ten Arnaldo was subbing for him in the clubs. “He would give me the ‘bad’ gigs he didn’t want to do,” says Arnaldo. “I saw a lot of fights, and my hands would bleed from metal parts of the drum sticking out. But I learned you can make anything sound good and to do the best you can. Always.” At 17 he took a 2-year gig on a cruise ship and was able to afford a quality drum set and set of congas by the end. “I used that money wisely and was working all the time in Santo Domingo and Santiago after that playing rock, Latin, jazz, wedding bands — all of it.” Arnaldo never thought of moving to the States but would take vacations to NYC. In 1995 during one of those trips he ended up touring with Al DiMeola to Japan (and would do so again in 2005). That same year he landed in New Mexico for the first time where he has now lived and performed for the last 30 years. New Mexico was similar to his home country in that it received Arnaldo’s talent with open arms and plenty of gigs. “I just keep it moving forward, keep practicing. I’m fascinated with music, and the drum set, I always look forward to playing, feel curious and feel a fire inside myself.”
Doors open at 5:30 for dinner, wine and craft cocktails. Showtime is 7:00 pm.
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