Fernando Sanjines 13, percussion and effects

Fernando de Sanjines Born in La Paz, Bolivia, Fernando Sanjines 13 began playing drums professionally at the age of fifteen, and was one of the pioneers mixing jazz and Bolivian Andean drumming. In the early seventies, he met his first Brazilian master teacher, percussionist Paulo Farias and together they founded the first samba school in La Paz, “Sambalivia.” He was invited to the Berlin Jazz Festival 1982 in Germany with “Intersouthamerican Drums Allstars,” directed by Jerry Brown from the USA. In the early eighties, Fernando established himself in the San Francisco Bay Area, and studied with well-known local drummers such as Sandy McKee, Scott Morris, and Mike Curotto and became a member of Chalo Eduardo’s (Sergio Mendes) Escola Nova de Samba. Since 1992, Fernando and his wife, Mary Dollar, have been co-directing their own Award Winning samba school and performing company, “Samba do Coração.” Fernando and Samba do Coração play REMO “World Percussion” instruments.

Lalo Izquierdo, Afro-Peruvian cajón

Lalo Izquierdo Born in Lima, Peru, Lalo Izquierdo is a founding member of the most important Afro-Peruvian Cultural Association Peru Negro, a well-known ensemble that has traveled the world promoting Black Peruvian culture. He is a master percussionist, choreographer, dancer, and folkloric innovator.

During his fifteen-year stay in Venezuela, he collaborated artistically with the Central University of Venezuela. He returned to Peru as professor of the National Superior School of Folklore, Jose Maria Arguedas, to begin a series of cultural exchanges among national and international colleges and universities. His most recent work took him to a European Cultural Festival in Holland, as choreographer and teacher of Peru Negríto, where he conducted percussion and dance workshops.

Lalo has been teaching dance for the past 30 years. His outstanding performances have been recently acclaimed in artistic events such as the 2001 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, People Like Me, and Collage of African Cultures.

Raul Ramirez, percussion

Originally from Peru, Raul Ramirez started playing the drums at the age of 5, and worked extensively doing studio work and live performances with many international artists and local bands before moving to the USA in 1973. Since then, he has been a very active performer and one of the most versatile percussionists in the Bay Area. His mastery of different styles including jazz, fusion, Latin jazz, Brazilian jazz, and South American music has helped him to travel around the world performing with the very best Latin jazz artists. He has recorded with Merl Saunders, Mad and Eddie Duran, Denise Perrier, Lady Memphis, Frank Jackson, Etta Jones, Eric Shifrin, Frankie Kelly, and many others. Raul teaches music at Brookfield Elementary School in Oakland and performs with his trio on Thursdays and Saturdays at the Parragon, Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, California.