Havanity Fair by Eduardo Corzo
Original Piano Composition

Ed Corzo is a professional musician from Havana, Cuba, specializing in piano and clarinet. He is also a composer and arranger. Ed began his musical studies with his father, Gregorio Corzo, a violinist with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. Initially, Ed studied guitar and piano independently until age 21, when he pursued formal education at the Ignacio Cervantes Conservatory, graduating as a clarinetist. During this time, he composed music for Cuban TV and served as the musical director of the Conjunto Nacional de Espectáculos.

Ed has toured extensively in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and the US, where he explored various musical roots and expanded his repertoire to include a variety of genres. He has arranged and composed music for films, television, radio, and theater in these countries. Today, Ed is a professor at the Community Music Center in San Francisco and performs as a freelance solo artist and with local and international bands.

Sameer Gupta’s Raga Friends
Jazz Meets Indian Classical

Featuring:

Sameer Gupta – Multitabla
George Brooks – Saxophones
Nishanth Chari – Sitar
Krishna Parthasarathy – Violin

Sameer Gupta isn’t your typical drummer. This Oakland-based percussionist seamlessly blends the fiery improvisations of jazz with the rich tradition of North Indian classical music. Born in 1976, Gupta began his musical journey with jazz drumming, but later embraced the intricacies of the tabla, creating a unique sonic tapestry.

His passion for both art forms is evident in his playing. He co-founded the Brooklyn Raga Massive, a group that pushes boundaries by fusing jazz and Indian classical. His tabla mastery is also on display with ensembles like The Supplicants and the Marc Cary Focus Trio.

Despite starting with jazz, the tabla has become an equally important voice in Gupta’s musical vocabulary. He skillfully weaves together complex rhythms and improvisational flair, captivating audiences worldwide. Whether performing intricate tabla solos or driving a band with his dynamic drumming, Sameer Gupta is a true innovator, forging a path where jazz and Indian classical traditions meet and ignite.

Sameer is a co-founder of several noteworthy ensembles, including Brooklyn Raga Massive, Marc Cary Focus Trio, Raga Kids, VidyA, Arun Ramamurthy Trio, Coltrane Raga Tribute, The Supplicants and many more. He has performed at Lincoln Center; Birla Auditorium, Kolkata, India; SFJAZZ; Nehru Centre, London; MoMA, NYC; Yerba Buena Gardens Festival San Francisco, and has played with Marc Cary, Jon Baptiste, Brandee Younger, Falu Shah, Rez Abbasi, Richard Howell, Wallace Roney, Karsh Kale, Krishna Bhatt, Ravichandra Kulur, Mysore Manjunath, Prasant Radhakrishnan, Chitresh Das, Jason Samuels Smith, Ramesh Mishra, Anindo Chatterjee, and numerous other luminaries.

Gupta has held workshops on Indian music and cross over drumming styles at Fordham University, California Jazz Conservatory, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Berklee College of Music and several other international institutions. He has performed the works of Indian classical Orchestral composer Reena Esmail as well as worked as a teaching artist in New York City and Oakland Unified school districts.

Notable Press Quotes:

“Gupta’s wild phrases pushed then pulled against the established form, threatening anarchy.” – February 2024 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

“Sameer Gupta is a versatile musician who has performed with well-known musicians across genres and easily alternates between the high energy drum set and the Indian tabla drums.”  Source

“Not since Trilok Gurtu’s stint in Oregon has a percussionist sounded as commanding in both Indian classical tabla styles and straight-ahead swing drumming as Sameer Gupta…” Source

LA GENTE SF
Cumbia Colombiana, Salsa, Reggaeton

Featuring:
Rafael Sarria Bustamante – vocals, guitar
Valentino Peeps – cajón, percussion, vocals
Avo Chalaganya – congas, percussion, vocals
Kate Goldstein – violin, vocals

LA GENTE SF was born in the Mission District of San Francisco and is currently based in Madrid, Spain. The group is led by Rafael Sarria Bustamante: singer-songwriter and voting member of the Recording Academy/Grammy’s. LA GENTE SF has created their own unique blend of World Music, Cumbia, Reggae, Salsa, and Reggaeton. Their music and live shows fuse together rhythms, dances and cultural influences from all over Latino America and the Caribbean with a distinct San Francisco flavor, to create an infectious, high energy dance party. LA GENTE SF just released “Llama Cumbia” their second single and music video from their 5th studio album “Entre 2 Mundos.” The album and series of music videos were recorded and filmed in San Francisco, Colombia, Spain, Mexico and Morocco and was produced by Rafael Sarria Bustamante, Maya Finlay & Jordan Feinstein. The Band is currently on their 2024 World Tour.

After years of touring and releasing original music, LA GENTE SF has built a large and loyal following all over the US and around the globe performing at numerous festivals, universities, radio stations, museums, art galleries and major venues, including: Los Angeles, New Orleans, Austin, Portland and New York as well as Spain, Italy, France, Mexico, Great Britain, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, and Colombia. Their notoriety and showmanship has found them sharing the stage with other recognized recording artists such as George Clinton and The P-Funk All Stars, E-40, La Santa Cecilia, Quantic, The Digital Underground, Oscar De Leon, Hyro-Glyphics, Digable Planets, Pato Banton, Lyrics Born, Pete Escovedo, MALO and many more.

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Notable Press Quotes:

“LA GENTE SF, led by Rafael Sarria Bustamante, plays an intoxicating cocktail of world music, mixing cumbia, reggae, salsa and hip-hop. Dance music with a political edge”   – Cy Musiker, KQED Arts

“LA GENTE SF reminded listeners of the depth, scope, and considerable talent of the local music scene. The band can be described, generically, as Latin fusion, aka mestiza music. Yet that description doesn’t really impart the sonic goodness and vibey aesthetic the band embodies.”   – Eric K Arnold, Oakland Local

“It’s refreshing to watch a band draw an audience as eclectic as their music. It seemed no one could sit still through the contagious beat and positive vibe.”   – Cassandra Braun, East Bay Times

PREVIEW THE PERFORMANCES

Eduardo Corzo

LA GENTE SF

EXHIBITION: Medicinal plants and hearts for a broken planet

In these tumultuous times, we find solace and strength in the small, healing plants around us. By elevating them to goddesses, we seek to protect and nurture ourselves and others. Our hearts ache from the absence of justice, the prevalence of violence, and the abuse of power. Through our art, we will find healing and inspire hope.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Adrian Arias
American, born in Peru

Is a visual artist, poet, performer, curator, activist, and cultural promoter, who brings together multidisciplinary artists to engage in community projects with messages of social justice, racial equality, climate change, peace, beauty, health, and hope in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Arias is one of the founders and creators of MAPP (Mission Arts Performance Project) and creator of festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area such as: VideoFest, Luna Negra, and ILLUSION shows in San Francisco.

Adrian uses his dreams as creative initiatives, which he makes come true in performances and community projects, such as his multimedia shows called DREAMS, or most currently Tarot in Pandemic & Revolution, where 23 visual artists and 43 poets from the SF Bay Area have participated.

MAPP GENERAL PROGRAM