dr�� elijah

Andrés Elijah is a multi-instrumentalist performer and composer originally from Walla Walla, Washington and currently based in Los Angeles, California. Performing under the name, dré elijah, he attributes much of his musical influence to his Guatemalan, Colombian, and Pacific Northwest roots and family heritage cultivated from four generations of musicians. Andrés’ approach to sound is heavily influenced both by the music he grew up with but also his unique experience, being born deaf in one ear. As a deaf musician, he places emphasis on the vibration and rhythm his sounds create, and he is known for dancing on stage when he’s behind a piano, microphone, or playing trumpet

Jonny Gee

Born: October, 1974

Musical polymath, London bassist Jonny Gee was appointed as a professor at the Guildhall (coaching impro & small groups) has worked across many styles of jazz and other music, performing with artists including:

Ravi Shankar, Ronnie Scott, Dame Cleo Laine, Lee Konitz, King Salsa, Roberto Pla, Antonio Forcione, Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Derek Jacobi (who toured reading poetry with Utter:Jazz), Ruthie Culver, Zum, La Mariposa Tango, Kosmos, The Sixteen, Voces8, The London Handel Orchestra, The Chinese Silk String Quartet, The Hep Chaps, Ruby & The Dukes, The Ikos, Dom Pipkin's Allstar New Orleans Trio, DJ Mista Trick ("Do what you do"/YOU Album), Aaron Liddard, England (Carmina Burana prog rock), Brian May & Roger Daltrey & Ben Elton (for Roger Taylor private shows), Gracie & The G-Spots.

Rafael Moreno

Born: February 1, 1983

Rafael Enrique Moreno Vega was born on February 1, 1983, in Panama City. He is the son of Rafael E. Moreno Pino and Elizabeth P. Vega de Moreno. A singer and songwriter, at the age of 5, he was already singing, but it was at the age of 8 that he began doing it more regularly at family parties, performing a repertoire of boleros, waltzes, and pasillos by artists such as Julio Jaramillo, Daniel Santos, Orlando Contreras, and others from the old guard that his parents and grandparents used to listen to.

At 17, he learned to play his first guitar chords with teacher Lucía Dorelis Pérez, although as a child, despite efforts by his uncle L. Raúl Moreno and his cousin Yira Castro to teach him, he did not like the instrument. During that time, he composed his first songs. That same year, 2000, he was hired for the first time by Professor Gilberto Campos and his group Rumba 5. A shy Rafael only sang the song "Conciencia" by composer Omar Alfanno twice during the night, as it was the only salsa song he knew.

Susie Hansen

Uziel Colon

Born: March

Uziel Colón is a pianist, arranger, and composer whose remarkable talent has earned him a well-established name as a prominent musician in the music industry. Throughout the years, his passion for music has driven him to reach new heights in his musical career, giving him the opportunity to perform with many great names including renowned percussionist Eguie Castrillo, legendary vibraphonist Victor Mendoza, percussionists Giovanni Hidalgo and Marc Quiñones, trumpet players Greg Hopkins and Humberto Ramirez, and accomplished bassists Oscar Stagnaro, Oskar Cartaya, and Abraham Laboriel. 

Sebastian Natal

Born: May 27, 1984

Sebastian Natal is an Uruguayan born multi-genre multi-instrumentalist, seasoned performer and music producer. He is proficient in piano, bass, percussion, trumpet, trombone and vocals across a range of genres including salsa, samba, tango, Afro-Peruvian music, Cuban timba, Latin Jazz, candombe, Argentine Folklore and son. Natal began his music career at age 10, performing as a pianist and percussionist alongside Malumba Gimenéz, Eduardo Da Luz, Washington Ocampo, and Perico Gularte, notable names in Uruguayan folklore. Due to his background of playing candombe music since age 3, his experience allowed him the opportunity to play with international acts interested in the genre such as Giovanni Hidalgo and Oscar D'León during their respective Uruguayan tours. 

Sebastian garnered more world experience between 2003-2005 when he moved to Argentina. There he was invited to play for national artists including Egle Martin, Donald and Palito Ortega. From 2005-2007 he toured across the USA and Canada with Sonora Borinquen, a notable Uruguayan band with nearly 60 years of experience under their belt.

Sixth Street All Stars

Crafted in the vibrant, cross-cultural setting of the San Francisco Bay Area, Everybody is a celebration of community and human connection. Longtime friends and collaborators Molly Skuse and Dana Hinchliffe wrote and produced this buoyant blend of jazz and salsa to express their inclusive musical vision and share complex musical ideas that simply swing.

Bringing together a powerfully talented cohort of regional musicians, the Sixth Street All Stars pay homage to Fania All Stars, the seminal musical collective that pioneered a modern Afro-Caribbean /Jazz hybrid for the mainstream

James H Durchslag

Born: April 2, 1948

Jimmy is an accomplished musician, band leader, composer and arranger. Jimmy leads the six piece Latin Jazz and salsa band, The Latin Peppers, which plays at numerous venues, festivals and gatherings throughout Humboldt County and the Northcoast of California. Jimmy is the Director of the Jazz and Latin ensembles at the Lark Music Camp, a gathering of over 700 performers in the Mendocino Woodlands every summer. He has played with numerous ensembles during his over 50 years in Humboldt County, including Ponche!, Humboldt Time, Rod and the Ideals, the Garberville Town Band, Kachimbo, Planet 4, Crossroads, and the Pastime Silent Movie Orchestra

Martin Turkis

Born: November 28, 1977

Martin Turkis is a double bassist, composer, and bandleader working out of San Francisco in genres such as salsa dura, son, mambo, and latin as well as straight-ahead jazz. He is the musical director of Conjunto Elefante - a salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz combo. He also leads the jazz-ska outfit Revolutionary Dictature.

Salsa

Label: Dig It International
Released: 1998