“The Latin music Renaissance man”(San Francisco Chronicle), percussionist and composer John Santos celebrates his 70th birthday with a magic evening of Latin jazz based around his telepathic Sextet and an array of special guests including vocalists Destani Wolf and Zoe Ellis, percussionist Orestes Vilató, trumpeter Skylar Tang,  vibraphonist Kyle Athayde, and more.

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John Santos Sextet

SFJAZZ Center

Led by seven-time Grammy Award nominee John Santos, The John Santos Sextet is one of the premier Afro-Latin Jazz musical groups in the US. Santos has collaborated with masters like Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Eddie Palmieri, and McCoy Tyner, and was founder and director of the long-running Machete Ensemble from 1985 to 2006.

San Jose Jazz

Among all the profound musical expressions of Latin America, it is the music of Cuba that has had the strongest influence on the music of the United States from the 19th century to the present day. Cuban rhythms, styles, dances, melodies, instruments, musicians, arrangers, and composers have made an indelible mark on ragtime, swing, bebop, R&B, rock, soul, funk, salsa, hip hop and beyond.

John Santos

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 30, 2026

Afro-Caribbean Musical Roots · Stanford Live

Past events

Nov 28, 2025

John Santos Sextet · San Francisco Jazz

Aug 10, 2024

John Santos Sextet · San Jose Jazz Summer Fest

About

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