The Spirit and Soul of Latin Jazz

The Jazz Loft @ Southampton Concert Series | Thursday, July 24, 2025 | 7 pm

Performer BioS

Carlos Jiménez
Carlos Jiménez is an extraordinary flute player and vocalist, as well as composer and bandleader of Jazz, Latin Jazz and Salsa. 

Born in New York, his family moved to Puerto Rico when he was six years old. It was there that his musical training began. From a young age, Carlos had an aptitude for percussion and played timbales, bongos and congas. His first lyrical instrument was trumpet, which he studied under Professor Pablo Leon at Francisco Zayas Santana High School. Carlos soon changed his instrument to flute, feeling inspired listening to the music of Mongo Santamaria and how he utilized the flute in his arrangements.

Carlos returned to New York to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz flutist. He began studying classical flute at the Music Conservatory of Westchester, New York before expanding his repertoire to include jazz, studying privately with master musicians. A few years later, he studied Jazz harmony and voicing with master pianist, Michael Longo. 

Carlos has led everything from quartets to orchestras, and his band has performed at numerous galas and events. The Carlos Jimenez Orchestra is the house band for the iconic Zona de Cuba in the Bronx. To date, Carlos has recorded nine albums of his own compositions and arrangements.

 

Ruben Rodriguez
Ruben Rodriguez was born in New York City and grew up in East Harlem and Puerto Rico. He has been recognized as one of the best and hardest working Latin music bass players in the United States. Mr. Rodriguez, whose father played classical guitar, taught himself the bass in Junior High then spent some time under the tutelage of the esteemed bassist Victor Venegas.

Since getting his first break playing with Johnny Colon in 1979, he has worked with Grover Washington Jr., Roberta Flack, Ray Barreto, Charlie and Eddie Palmieri, The Fania All Stars, Tito Puente and Machito.

His exhaustive discography includes his work with Marc Anthony, Tito Puente, India, Africando, Celia Cruz, Caribbean Jazz Project, Dave Samuels, Dave Valentin, Steve Khan, Willie Colon, David Byrne and Eddie Palmieri just to name a few. Along with his producer/friend, Sergio George, Ruben Rodriquez has been noted as revolutionizing the sound of contemporary popular Salsa.

 

Coto Pincheira
Coto Pincheira is an internationally acclaimed pianist, composer, and educator with over 25 years of performance experience and more than a decade of teaching at all levels. Born and trained in Chile, Coto's musical journey has taken him across Latin America, the United States, and Europe, establishing him as a versatile artist fluent in jazz, Afro-Cuban, salsa, classical, and contemporary styles.

Coto studied at top institutions including the Yamaha Academy, the Catholic University of Valparaíso, and the Conservatorium of Santiago under Chilean maestro Aníbal Correa. His pursuit of Afro-Cuban and jazz excellence brought him to Cuba, where he trained with legends such as Hilario Durán, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Chucho Valdés, becoming the first foreign pianist invited to perform with the iconic Tropicana big band.

In the U.S., he has performed at prestigious venues like Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the San Jose Jazz Festival. He has also worked with celebrated ensembles including John Santos and the Machete Ensemble, and Tito Garcia y La Internacional. Coto has served as musical director, bandleader, and collaborator for numerous projects including The Sonido Moderno Project — his own Latin jazz fusion ensemble —w hich earned multiple nominations at the 2009 Best of Latin Jazz Awards.

A dedicated educator, Coto taught at San Francisco’s Community Music Center and continues to offer private instruction in piano and music theory. Now based in New York City, he remains an active performer and mentor, enriching the jazz and Latin music scenes with his dynamic artistry.

 

Victor Rendón
Drummer/percussionist Victor Rendón is a highly respected educator, author, and veteran of the New York City Latin music scene. He studied intensively for many years with Jimmy Ramirez, Dr. Rosemary Small, Louie Bauzó, Johnny Almendra, “Little” Ray Romero, Frankie Malabé, Mike Collazo Sr., Pablo Rosario, Changuito, Roberto Borrell, John Amira, Morris “Arnie” Lang, as well as jazz drummers Paul Guerrero, Henry Okstel, & Charli Persip among others. He has worked as a side man with Mongo Santamaria, Chico O’Farrill, Carlos “Patato” Valdés, Ray Santos Orchestra, Grupo Caribe, Latin Jazz Coalition, The “New” Xavier Cugat Orchestra, Grupo Latin Vibe, Los Más Valientes, Rudy Calzado, and many others. 

Victor is author of The Art of Playing Timbales  and for several years Victor also published his own semi-annual magazine, Latin Percussionist. Rendón, who holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas and a Masters degree in education from Hunter College, has had a lengthy career teaching instrumental music and Latin percussion in the New York City Public Schools. 

Formerly co-leader of the Rodríguez/Rendón Latin Jazz Orchestra, he now leads the Bronx Conexión Latin Jazz Big Band and the percussion group Co-Tim-Bó. Currently, he teaches and directs the Percussion Ensemble and also the Latin Jazz Ensemble at Lehman College in the Bronx. A successful clinician, he conducts workshops in Latin percussion styles. Mr. Rendón is an LP, Sabian, Vic Firth, and Evans performing artist and educator.

 

Oscar Onoz
Oscar Onoz, born in Camagüey, Cuba, immigrated to the United States at a young age. Immersed in the vibrant community of Cuban exiled musicians, he mastered the distinctive “Cuban Folkloric” trumpet style that has become his signature. 

Onoz has graced many of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Lincoln Center and New York’s Town Hall. His Off-Broadway credits include the 2002 production of Tropicana: The Musical and Meme Solis’s Havana on the Bay.

Among his most notable live performances are his appearances as featured soloist and musical director at El Día Nacional de la Salsa in Bogotá, Colombia (2009), and a powerful live broadcast on WBAI’s The Cuban All-Star Jam (2003).

In 1999, Onoz fulfilled a lifelong dream by recording with members of the legendary Buena Vista Social Club in Cuban Dreams: A New York Reunion. His discography also includes Descarga Oriental with Maurice El Medioni, which won the 2007 BBC World Music Award for Cross-Cultural Collaboration.  Onoz’s talent has earned recognition on Grammy nominated projects, including Sonido Isleño’s Tres Is the Place and Ochun’s self-titled album. Cinema credits include featured recording on Darren Aronofsky classic Requiem for A Dream.

 

Angel Paez
Angel Paez first fell in love with the sound of the conga when he was about seven years old. He remembered a group of men playing in the park near where he lived in the Baruch Projects on the Lower East Side. By the time he was fourteen, he had started taking percussion classes at Boys Harbor, where he learned the art of the tumbao. Soon after, he began playing with a steel band called Orchestra FM. When he was sixteen, he got married and set music aside to work at a hospital and later at Federal Express to support his family.

Even though life took him in a different direction, he continued practicing at home over the years and kept improving on the congas. When he was 21, his daughter was born, and although he dreamed of pursuing music full-time, he chose to focus on providing for his family.

Years passed, but the desire to play never left his heart. One day, a friend invited him to see a band perform — Carlos Jiménez’s Mambo Dulcet. The moment he heard their Latin rhythms, he couldn’t stop himself from grooving along. His friend asked if he wanted to sit in, mentioning that Carlos welcomed people to join. At first, Angel didn’t have the confidence, but he eventually gathered his courage, played a tumbao alongside the conga player, and afterward met Carlos himself. With Carlos’s support and guidance, Angel was finally able to do what he had always dreamed of—performing in a band again. He remains deeply grateful to Josie and to Carlos for helping him return to his lifelong passion.

 

Cristian Rivera
Cristian Rivera is a dynamic and highly in-demand Latin percussionist hailing from Holbrook, NY, known for his rock-solid feel and versatility across many genres. Raised on a powerful blend of soul and salsa — from Isaac Hayes, Chuck Mangione, Marvin Gaye to Héctor Lavoe, Conjunto Clásico, and Tito Puente — Cristian developed a sound that’s as rhythmic as it is rooted in tradition.

For more than 25 years Cristian has brought his distinctive flavor to the stage and studio with legends like Larry Harlow, Ismael Miranda, Adalberto Santiago, Bobby Sanabria, Néstor Torres, SYOTOS, Cano Estremera, Conjunto Libre Frankie Morales Mambo of the Times Orchestra and Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, to name just a few.

For nearly two decades, Cristian Rivera has been the driving rhythmic force behind the legendary Willie Colón Orchestra, touring internationally and captivating audiences with his explosive energy, musical precision, and deep respect for the art of music.