Francisco Aguabella
Music has been a part of Francisco Aguabella’s life since he was a child growing up in Cuba. Since his beginnings of playing drums with his friends on discarded Carnation cans, Mr. Aguabella has become one of the world’s premiere Afro-cuban drummers. He has been honored by the City of Los Angeles, City of San […]
Francis Awe
In Nigeria, the unique style of drumming known as the talking-drum traditionally has been played by commoners for royalty. But Francis Awe, prince of the Yoruba tribe, broke with tradition and adopted this unique instrument, mastering it and teaching others this rich tradition. Mr. Awe has performed throughout the world, and been a part of […]
Souhail Kaspar
Souhail Kaspar is a highly acclaimed performer on Near Eastern percussion instruments. Born in Lebanon, Mr. Kaspar received his early musical training in Syria, where he studied the basic theory and technique of Arab percussion playing with established artists. In the United States, Mr. Kaspar and his partner Ali Jihad Racy have performed in major […]
Cecil James (Big Jay) McNeely
Cecil James (Big Jay) McNeely, a legend of the R&B and jazz music scene, is known as the “King of Honking Tenor Saxophone. ” Mr. McNeely has been performing his pioneering style of music since the 1940s, touring with other well known performers such as Billie Holliday, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, and […]
Yinn Ponn
Yinn Ponn was one of the few artists to survive the genocide of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia during the 1970s. Mr. Yinn fled Cambodia in 1978, having worked in and survived the labor camps. With the help of the National Council for the Traditional Arts and other organizations, he worked to rebuild the traditions […]
Lakshmi Shankar
Lakshmi Shankar’s performance style is often described as mesmerizing, spellbinding her audiences with her extraordinary voice. Born in Northern India, Mrs. Shankar began training as a dancer when she was young, but was forced to stop dancing due to a serious illness, and began a singing career at the age of 25. Mrs. Shankar first […]
Eleanor Academia
Eleanor Academia is a master of Kulintang, the ancient gong and drum music of the Southern Philippines. She was the first “outsider” and American to be allowed in the legendary village of Kulintang masters in the ancient city of Dulawan in Minadanao, Philippines. A direct mulit (lineage holder) of recognized Philippine Kulintang master artists, Academia […]
Clora Bryant
Born and raised in Texas, Clora Bryant came to Los Angeles in 1945, where she became part of the swinging music scene on Central Avenue. An accomplished jazz trumpet player and vocalist, Bryant was the only female horn player ever to perform with saxophone legend Charlie Parker. In the early 1950s, Bryant was a member […]
Abdoulaye Diabate
Abdoulaye Diabate was born in Guinea, West Africa, to a long lineage of Mand jali-musicians, practitioners of a musical tradition that dates back to the 13th century. The rise of modern Mand music began in the 1920s with the introduction of the acoustic guitar to an instrumental repertoire that had previously included balafon (xylophone), nkoni [...] Radha Prasad
Radha Prasad was born and raised in India and taught himself to play the bamboo flute at an early age. He studied for 18 years as an apprentice to Pandit Hariprasad Chaurais, India’s foremost flutist. He has toured extensively throughout India, Europe and the United States. He moved to the U.S. in 1992, and has […]