JOHN SANTOS (PERCUSSIONIST, COMPOSER, WRITER)

Born in San Francisco, California, November 1, 1955. Percussionist, composer, writer and educator John Santos was raised in the Puerto Rican and Cape Verdean traditions of his family, surrounded by music. The fertile musical environment of the San Francisco Bay Area shaped his career in a unique way. His studies of Afro-Latin music have included several trips to New York, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Colombia.

Widely respected as one of the top writers, educators and historians in the field, Mr. Santos is a member of the Latin Jazz Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Institution and has contributed to the international magazines Percussive Notes, Modern Drummer, Modern Percussionist, and Latin Percussionist. The San Francisco Bay Area community in which he still lives and works has presented him with numerous awards and honors for artistic excellence and social dedication.

Mr. Santos is also a distinguished and creative multi-percussionist and recording artist. His diverse credits (in addition to those listed) include: Grupo Mezcla (Havana, Cuba), Irakere West, Santana, Cal Tjader, Charlie Hunter, Danilo Perez, Linda Tillery, Ignacio Berroa, Omar Sosa, Bobby Hutcherson, McCoy Tyner, Lalo Schifrin, Jon Jang, Yma Sumac, Pete and Sheila Escovedo, Mark Murphy, John Faddis, Batacumbele and Batucaje. He was the director of the Orquesta Tipica Cienfuegos (1976-1980), the Orquesta Batachanga (1981-1985) and the Machete Ensemble (1986-2006).

THE JOHN SANTOS QUINTET - PAPA MAMBO (2007)

World class Latin jazz for the dancers, listeners, and fans

recensione di  Gian Franco Grilli: THE JOHN SANTOS QUINTET - PAPA MAMBO (2007)

review by Chip Boaz: THE JOHN SANTOS QUINTET - PAPA MAMBO (2007)

review by Bruce Polin: THE JOHN SANTOS QUINTET - PAPA MAMBO (2007)

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This is our first CD by the John Santos Quintet. It was humbly created for those who appreciate and support the legacy of Afro-Latin music, and particularly for the musicians and composers who blazed the path for us, making it possible for us to do what we love to do. This represents a new chapter and era for us, full of the mysteries, challenges and energy that life offers as one traverses its paths. We are deeply honored to carry forth musical traditions in which improvisation and adaptation are indispensable elements. It is precisely in this moment of time, as we strive towards spirit and peace, that we make this small contribution to an ageless, timeless form of human expression where harmony, melody, rhythm, poetry, and souls converge. Given the limitations of our abilities and resources, we hope that what emerges from our hearts will add in some small way to the international movement towards true peace and justice in a critically-wounded world, full of destructive energies. May the perpetrators of destruction be enlightened soon so that their children and ours will be able to walk, breathe and live in a self-sustaining, life-affirming environment.

As much as anything else, this project is a celebration of the genius of Orestes Vilato. The significance of his body of work is equal to that of Picasso in the field of visual art. El maestro really sparkles here, painting with expressive strokes, working his magic, improvising in his inimitable fashion. He is the consummate keeper of the tradition of the Cuban percussive instruments known as timbales and bongos. His artistry on this CD, loaded with Vilatoisms, both classic and brand new, establishes yet again, why he has always been so highly influential to several generations of musicians and dancers.

Please continue to support the endangered species known as live music, written and played by actual musicians, and the efforts of all artists in all mediums, who put us in closer touch with love and life.

JS Oakland, CA April 2007 (From the liner notes)