Desde la bahia—San Francisco

Latin Beat Magazine, April, 2003 by Jesse Varela

LATIN JAZZ DE AQUI Y ALLA. The hybrid between jazz and Latin rhythms is alive and kicking in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although salsa has garnered enough popularity to sustain weekly dances from Mondays through Fridays around the Bay Area, Latin jazz isn't there yet, but a generation of well-seasoned musicians are trying to establish regular spots where the music can flourish. However, the major resident jazz festivals in San Francisco, Monterey, Concord and San José have all included Latin jazz and salsa in their presentations.

HISTORY OF BAY AREA LATIN JAZZ. Given the rich legacy of Latin jazz in the region, very little documentation of this scene exists. The book by Dr. Raul Fernández, "Latin Jazz: La Combinacion Perfecta," which accompanies the traveling Smithsonian exhibit of the same name, acknowledges the contributions of residents Cal Tjader, Armando Peraza, John Santos and others. Percussionist/bandleader/educator John Santos, in collaboration with La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, has organized a series of concerts and panel discussions for this Spring to shed light on this neglected subject. The project will document and recognize the unsung heroes of Latin jazz.

The History of Bay Area Latin Jazz Series:

April 4--Tribute to West Coast Jazz: John Santos & Machete with special guest Johnny Coppola

April 18--Looking Forward: Mingus Amungus with Pete Escovedo

May 2--Tribute to Benny Velarde: Bayardo Velarde with Roger Glenn & Joe Ellis

May 16--Afro-Latin Panorama: John Calloway & Omaya

June 13--Unsung Heroes: Mark Levine & Eddie Duran

June 20--Bay Area World Jazz: Columna B & Snake Trio.

All programs are at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley. Panel discussions begin at 7:30 p.m. and shows at 8:30 p.m. Ticket information at (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org.

CALIENTE 2000. A Latin jazz combo led by pianist Gary Flores (of Salsa Caliente fame), plays Thursday nights at Rassella's on Fillmore St. in San Francisco. Playing originals and standards by Mongo, Puente and others, the group is a talented collective of musicians that includes a rhythm section of Flores (piano), with Jorge Pomar or Carlitos Franco (bass), Pedro Fernández or Oscar Soltero (conga) and Pepe Jacobo (trap drums). The frontline horns include Charlie McCarthy or Pete Cornel (saxes), Mike Olmos of Robbie Kwock (trumpets), Jonathon Alford or Marco Diaz (piano).

"The core of our music is improvisation," says Flores. "We play the melodies and then open it up and jam. Most of my life I've played salsa with my band Salsa Caliente, backing up singers. Here there are no vocals except coros." Born and raised in San Francisco in the Excelsior District, Flores is currently in the studio recording.

"Jazz has always inspired me and I hope Latin jazz grows. I'm going to make my CD with Al Bent on trombone and the guys I mentioned and hopefully it will go somewhere."

SMOOTH RIDE: Percussionist Derek Rolando is part of the new school of Latin jazz bandleaders rising in the Bay Area. For over a year he has been leading a Sunday afternoon Latin jazz session at LaBeau's in Martinez. A talented percussionist who grew up in Oakland, he was exposed to Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz through his collector father. As a kid, he encouraged Rolando and his brother to take up an instrument; he chose the timbal.

"My father had a friend who was playing with Carlos Federico and the Escovedo Bros. named Carlos Lara who became my teacher. We moved a few blocks from him and Pete Escovedo's family and I used to go hang out with them. My brother Mark played keyboards with a local Latin rock band from Oakland High named GRITO that included Sheila Escovedo on trap drums."

Rolando became a sponge, absorbing the music around him. He learned to distinguish between the East and West Coast style of playing timbal and progressed quickly. He began sitting in with GRITO at age 12. As a teen, he started playing traditional Peruvian music and salsa with the Contra Costa band Caliente, and soon after was playing funk, rock and disco. He was not happy "just playing for the money" and didn't feel fulfilled as a percussionist so he plunged onto the Bay Area salsa scene with Julio Bravo for two years on congas and bongó.

In the 1980s, he formed a short-lived fusion band patterned after Weather Report named Indigo. Around 1995 he started his own band with Latin jazz leanings. He wanted to blend his Santana roots with the blues but did not find the right combination of musicians until he met guitarist Kenny Harrill.

"It was the second gig I had done at a Mexican restaurant named El Casador in Pittsburg, California. For my birthday I invited Orestes Vilató, Raul Rekow and Kenny, who studied a the Grove School of Music in L.A. (and leans toward Larry Carlton in his style) to join me."

Rolando heard Harrill's sound and worked to hone a prestigious cast of musicians. On Habanero Records, Rolando plays all the percussion on the five-track EP and balances smooth jazz textures with straight-ahead montuno Latin jazz. He solidifies his sound at a regular Sunday afternoon gig at LaBeau's in Martinez.