John Santos presents Papo Vazquez 'Pirates & Troubadours'

The formidable trombonist, arranger and composer Papo Vasquez presents the West Coast debut of Pirates Troubadours, an eight-piece Afro Puerto Rican jazz combo that melds Caribbean percussion with a blazing jazz horn section on material inspired by traditional Puerto Rican forms.

Far more than a master percussionist, John Santos is an invaluable educator and cultural activist, a keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame steeped in Cuban and Puerto Rican folkloric traditions as well as salsa and Latin jazz.… Show more Born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District amidst an extended family of Puerto Rican musicians, he’s been at the center of the Bay Area’s Latin music scene for nearly four decades. As a visionary bandleader and noted historian, he has served on the Smithsonian Institution’s Latin Jazz Advisory Committee.

Santos has played an essential role in expanding Latin jazz’s rhythmic lexicon beyond the foundational Cuban grooves. His programming as a Resident Artistic Director reflects his pan-Caribbean sensibility.

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