The John Santos Quintet
Classic Latin Jazz from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the US
Orestes Vilató - timbales, bongos
Saul Sierra - bass
Marco Diaz - piano
John Calloway - flute, percussion
John Santos - congas, maracas, chekere, guiro
Four-time Grammy nominee, John Santos and his stellar quintet shed light on the historical and cultural significance of Latin Jazz, as well as its aesthetic characteristics pertaining to instrumentation, rhythm, interpretation and improvisation. Organized in 2003, they specialize in educational presentations from lecture/demonstrations to detailed clinics focusing on any number of relevant subjects such as composition, arrangement, rhythmic development, stylistic interpretation, studio performance, etc. Their repertoire consists of exciting arrangements from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the US, as well as original compositions. Their first CD, Papa Mambo, was released on John's Machete Records label in the Summer of 2007 with many special guests, including Ray Vega, Maria Márquez, Orlando Torriente, Harold Muñíz, and Javier Navarrette. Equally at home with a dance or concert repertoire, the John Santos Quintet presents a wide range of styles and rhythms for audiences of all ages.
Percussionist extraordinaire, Orestes Vilató, is a living legend in the world of Latin Jazz and Salsa and has also participated in Grammy award-winning and nominated projects. From the mid-sixties to the present day, he has worked with an amazing and endless array of artists including Cachao, Belisario Lopez, Fajardo, Bobby Hutcherson, Ray Barretto, The Fania All Stars, Johnny Pacheco, Ismael Quintana, Tipica 73, Los Kimbos, McCoy Tyner, Jackson Brown, Aretha Franklin, Cuba LA, and Santana. Orestes has worked with John Santos and the Machete Ensemble since 1987 and recorded on both albums with John's group, Batachanga, in 1982 and 1984.
Bassist, Saul Sierra, graduated from the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area around 1998. He is currently the most in-demand bassist on the local scene in the Latin Jazz and Salsa fields, having added his rock-solid rhythmic and harmonic foundation to recordings and performances with Jackeline Rago, Fito Reinoso, Charanson, Maria Márquez, Jesus Diaz, and John Santos and the Machete Ensemble among many others. Saul is also a founding member of Visión Latina.
Dynamic pianist, Marco Diaz, is also among the busiest musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area. His understanding of the Jazz and Latin idioms and how they work together defies his age. Marco's exciting playing can be heard with some of the most popular groups on the scene including Charanson, Jesus Diaz, and Mazacote. He is also a founding member of Visión Latina and an excellent trumpet player !
Exciting flautist, John Calloway, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and educator active in the vibrant San Francisco music scene since the mid 1970s and teaching music in the public school district since the late 1980s. He is a founding member of John Santos' Machete Ensemble (1985), and has written and arranged for countless groups in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York. In 2002, he released Diaspora, his first CD as a band leader. He's performed with Batachanga, Beny Velarde, Charanson, Cachao, Conjunto Libre, Charanga 76, Rey Reyes, and Charlie Rodriguez.
Multi-percussionist, John Santos, is a major exponent of Afro-Latin music through innovative use of traditional forms and instruments with contemporary music. He's been a prolific performer, composer, teacher, writer, radio programmer, and record/event producer for over 30 years, having worked with acknowledged masters such as Cachao, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Bebo Valdés, Max Roach, Eddie Palmieri, Patato Valdés, Francisco Aguabella, Steve Turre, McCoy Tyner, Batacumbele, Omar Sosa, and Carlos Santana. John is a member of the Latin Jazz Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Institution. He has conducted countless workshops, lectures and clinics in the US and Europe since 1972 at institutions of all types including the Adventures in Music program of the San Francisco Symphony, the Berklee School of Music in Boston, UCLA, Yale, Stanford, Duke, the Universities of Wisconsin at Madison and Milwaukee, the University of Michigan, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Hayward, Cal State Sonoma, Cal State Sacramento, Cal State San Jose, Tulane University of Louisiana, The Jazz School in Berkeley CA, Jazz Camp West, the Los Angeles Music Academy, College of San Mateo, and La Universidad Inter-Americana in San Germán Puerto Rico. He was the founder and director (1985-2006) of the internationally renowned, Grammy-nominated Machete Ensemble, who released nine CDs with special guests from Puerto Rico, Cuba, NY, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, mostly on John's Machete Records label.
