Marco Díaz, trumpet & piano
Steve Senft-Herrera, bass
Julio Pérez, percussion
Carlos Medrano, percussion

Dynamic Bay Area trumpet player, pianist, and composer Marco Díaz brings his quartet — in its Jazzschool debut! — for an evening of original music exploring a wide panorama of Afro-Caribbean sounds and grooves. Performing compositions from his first two albums, Life Notes and Insight, alongside new tunes from an upcoming release, Díaz weaves traditional Puerto Rican and Cuban styles into new music that features beautiful melodies, layered pulsating grooves, and infectious rhythm. The quartet also performs Díaz’ original arrangements of jazz standards, so don’t be surprised to hear a danzón with a ragtime melody alongside a dance floor-ready medley of salsa classics!

Bay Area born and raised, Marco Díaz has been immersed in the region’s Latin jazz and salsa scenes since childhood, and has been a frequent collaborator with local legends Jesus Diaz and John Santos. He has also performed with Orestes Vilato, Edgardo Cambón, Carlos Caro, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Nelson Gonzales, Jimmy Bosch, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Ska Cubano, Tito Rojas, and Jovino Santos Neto, among others. A committed educator, Díaz has been on faculty at the Community Music Center in San Francisco, Jazz Camp West, the SFJAZZ teaching artist program, and the San Francisco Symphony AIM program.