John
Santos is a percussionist with the Machete
Ensemble. His extensive exploration of
Afro-Latin music has earned him performance
and recording credits with Eddie
Palmieri, Cal
Tjader, Lalo Schifrin, Irakere West,
Danilo Perez, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito
Puente, Max Roach, Los Papines, and
Ignacio Berroa.
A
lifelong resident of the California Bay
Area, John is the founder and director
of the Machete Ensemble, renowned for
integrating traditional Afro-Latin forms
with contemporary instrumentation and
vibrant arrangements. The band performed
its original repertoire at the Havana
Jazz Festival last year, and has shared
stage and studio with many stellar figures
of Afro-Latin jazz including Cachao, Armando
Peraza, Chocolate Armenteros, Francisco
Aguabella, Carlos Santana, Orestes Vilato,
and Steve Turre.
Machete
has released several albums, including
the acclaimed Africa, and anticipates
another shortly. In addition, John recently
completed an album with pianist Omar Sosa,
with whom he released Nfumbe in 1997.
His
passion for Afro-Latin music makes him
sought-after as an author and teacher.
As a speaker, his lecture topics have
included "Salsa for Social Change" and
"What Is This Thing Called Clave?" He
serves on the faculty of the Stanford
Jazz Workshop, contributes frequently
to the international music press, and
conducts clinics worldwide on polyrhythms
from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Brazil.
