Pete Escovedo & his Orquestra February 9, 2007

Pete Escovedo has been at the forefront of Latin jazz for three decades. In fact, his name has become more or less synomous with Latin jazz in the Bay Area. His first professional engagement was as the opening act for the Count Basie Orchestra at San Francisco’s Downbeat Club. Originally inspired espeically by the Latin percussion great Tito Puente, Pete formed the “The Escovedo Brothers Latin Jazz Sextet” with brothers Coke and Phil in the early 60s.

As Pete’s daughter, Zina Escovedo, describes it on Pete’s official website, “They played all over town, carrying their own instruments from one town to another on the bus to get to their next gig and earn their $50. They played in famous places like the Matador, the Jazz Workshop, The Tropics and The Basin St. West. The three brothers stuck together, especially after their late night gigs, they would get something to eat and talk about music, traveling and being famous one day. Music was everything to them, it was their life.”

And music has remained Pete Escovedo’s life ever since. From those early days of growth and exploration with his brothers, to a thrilling tenure in Carlos Santana’s touring band, to the formation of the seminal early 70’s Latin-Fusion band Azteca, and his LPs and touring with his daughter, Sheila E., Pete Escovedo has been one of the great ambassadors, and great innovators, of Latin jazz. His shows are always a whirlwind of high spirits, high energy and pulsing Latin rhythms!

Since those formative years of the early 60’s that the Escovedo brothers spent filling the nightclubs of the Bay Area with riotous Latin jazz, in addition to playing with his own bands, Pete Escovedo has recorded and performed with a host of world-famous musicians, including Herbie Hancock, Mongo Santamaria, Bobby McFerrin, Cal Tjader, Woody Herman, Stephen Stills, Billy Cobham, Anita Baker, George Duke, Boz Scaggs, Andy Narell, Al Jareau, Ray Obiedo, Dione Warwick, Marlena Shaw, Barry White, Angela Bofil, Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Chick Corea, Dave Valentine, Najee, Gerald Albright and, of course, his original inspiration, Tito Puente.

If you’ve never seen Pete Escovedo in live performance, now’s the time! And if you have seen him before, you don’t need us to tell you how truly energizing and memorable a Pete Escovedo concert will always be. There’s no such thing as too much Pete Escovedo!

http://www.peteescovedo.com

Official Website: http://www.jazzatpearls.com