Palenke Arts welcomes back to our stage master percussionist and singer Jesús Díaz and the infectious sounds of the Cuban danzón, cha cha chá, son montuno, timba y mucho más! Jesús’ concert last year with Trio Mulatos was an absolute sold-out blast. This time he will be performing with another all-star quartet that features Grammy-nominated Colin Douglas on percussion, Yadier Noa Chamble on bass and Julio de la Cruz on keyboard and vocals. This group was recently featured in Facebook Elevate’s national performing arts series for Latinx Heritage Month. The concert will be broadcast virtually from our website, youtube channel and facebook live. A special VIP Zoom link will be provided to Palenke Arts’ donors.

Jesus Díaz, vocals, percussion

Cuban born percussionist and vocalist Jesus Diaz arrived in the United States from Habana in 1980. He quickly identified the Bay Area music scene as the grounds to establish his new home. His local and worldwide performances in collaboration with world renowned and acclaimed artists are recognized for their contributions to the richness of an ever expanding musical genre.

A multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and vocalist, Díaz has established himself as one of the most in-demand performers and studio musicians worldwide. As an educator, he has participated in several prominent clinics and workshops including Berklee College of Music, SFJAZZ, Stanford Jazz Workshop, Drummers Collective NY, and Jazz Camp West to name a few. In collaboration with his group Talking Drums, which includes fellow percussionists Michael Spiro and David Garibaldi, he has contributed to various Warner Brothers instructional books and videos. For more instructional videos, please visit congamasterclass.com.

Jesus Diaz has performed, toured or recorded with such artists as, Stevie Wonder, The Dave Mathews Band (DMB), Carlos Santana, Andy Narrell, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobbie Womack, Steve Coleman, Caribbean Jazz Project, Planet Drum, Talking Drums, Pete Escovedo / Sheila E, José Luis Quintana "Changuito", Giovanni Hidalgo, Rebecca Mauleón & Round Trip, Omar Sosa, Columna "B", John Calloway, and Conjunto Céspedes, among many others.

Colin Douglas - Drums

Grammy award nominated drummer/percussionist/educator Colin Douglas was born in New York City into a musical family. As the son of a music producer, he grew up experimenting with many different instruments and soon settled on drums and percussion. Mr. Douglas went on to study percussion at both the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music as well as Manhattan School of Music where he worked extensively in both the classical percussion and jazz drumset programs.

After college he became interested in the world of latin percussion and studied both in Cuba as well as with many master percussionists in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he has lived and played professionally for 16 years. Mr. Douglas has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians ranging from latin acts such as Jesus Diaz y su Qba, Ray Obiedo, and the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, with whom Mr. Douglas received a grammy nomination in 2013, to R&B and rock acts such as Donna Summer and Slash.

Julio De La Cruz on Keyboard + Vocals

Yadier Noa Bass + Vocals