Groupo los Santos Concert

Grupo los Santos is a NYC-based quartet of guitar, bass, drums and tap dance/body percussion, often augmented with Afro-Cuban batá drums. A funky, rootsy, weirdly eclectic jam-band which pulls equally from the traditions of jazz, rock, funk, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, and whatever else they come across.  Formed in 1998, Santos has played concerts throughout the U.S.A., (including New York’s famed Town Hall), Cuba and Europe. 

Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime and seating is first-come, first-served. Online ticket sales end 1 hour prior to showtime. There may still be tickets available for purchase in the BMCA office. Call 828-669-0930 for more information.

About David and band members:

David Ambrosio (Bass/Bata) has been one of New York City’s finest freelance musicians and educators for the past 30 years,  His current working projects as a leader are CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: Blue Note Records in the Progressive ‘60s, featuring Grammy nominated saxophonist Donny McCaslin and drumming legend Victor Lewis; and the David Ambrosio Trio, featuring saxophonist Loren Stillman. David has studied Afro/Cuban Bata drumming with master drummers Miguel Bernal, Carlos Gomez, and Carlos Aldama, and is currently on faculty at Hunter College and the New York Jazz Workshop in NYC.

Max Pollak (RumbaTap/Body Percussion/Vocal) is recognized worldwide as the first person to merge percussive dance and singing with Afro-Cuban body percussion grooves. This new style inspired the creation of his band RumbaTap, which has performed in the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Cuba, Turkey, France, Germany, Austria, and Finland. Pollak also breaks into the resurgence of contemporary classical and Austrian folklore music (aka New Austrian Sound of Music). 

Pete Smith (Guitar) is a New York City-based guitarist who performs in a wide range of musical settings. He has played New York’s Town Hall and concerts throughout the U.S., Cuba & Austria. Pete has worked with Norah Jones, trumpeter Donald Byrd, Cuban trombone master Juan Pablo Torres, Andrew Hill, Kat Edmonson, Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, the Moonlighters, Madeline Peyroux, Natalie Merchant and Huun-Huur-Tu, and was recently a member of Michael Feinstein’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

William “Beaver” Bausch (drums) has played with Donald Byrd, Juan Pablo Torres, the Boys Choir of Harlem, the Mambo All-Stars, Pablo Menéndez y Mezcla, and Hazmat Modine. He founded Grupo los Santos after his first trip to Cuba in 1998. They have been featured in several documentaries (Latido Latino and Como se forma una rumba) and performed at NYC’s Town Hall and the Jazz Standard, as well as in Europe and Cuba.William also taught in NYC public schools for 26 years. 

Host or Publisher Black Mountain Center for the Arts