The Funky Latin Getdown

The Funky Latin Getdown is a three-day celebration of Oakland's Black and Latinx culture, hosted at Downtown Oakland's historic establishment Geoffrey's Inner Circle.

Friday and Saturday nights will feature live concerts with legendary vocalist The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol and Her Sextet featuring special guest Jesus Diaz. This dynamite all-star ensemble will serve up healthy doses of sizzling Latin grooves and bangin' Oakland funk. Expect horns, rhtyhtms, and grooves galore. The BAJABA Awards program will recognize community leaders, legendary artists, and emerging talent. Youth ages 18 and under can attend free of charge!

Faye Carol - vocals

Jesus Diaz - percussion & vocals

Joe Warner - piano and musical director

Tarus Mateen - bass

Tony Austin - drums

Charles McNeal - alto sax

Randal Fisher - tenor sax

Daniel Harris III - trumpet

Geoffrey's offers a full bar and delectable soul food plates

The program will conclude Sunday afternoon with a free masterclass with master percussionist Jesus Diaz. This is a priceless opportunity to learn directly from one of the world's finest Afro-Cuban artists. Open to all ages and levels of experience including musicians, vocalists, aficionados, and casual listners alike.

Supported by California Arts Council

www.jzlinst.org

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol is known as an icon in the Bay Area and beyond, highly regarded for her powerful voice, astonishing versatility, and gift of connecting with her audience. Equally at home in jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, funk, latin, and hip-hop, she has developed her own authentic sound and unique delivery, delighting audiences young and old across the globe. She began her career in gospel music at Pittsburg's Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church, appearing locally with Dr. M.T. Thompson and touring nationally with local gospel stalwart Faidest Wagoner and gospel group The Angelaires. Shortly thereafter, she made her name singing with Oakland blues and funk legend Johnny Talbot & De Thangs before forming her own trio and gaining fame in San Francisco's jazz, blues, and cabaret clubs of the 1970s and 80s. Over a 60-year career in music, this living legend has developed her own unique acoustic sound and style in Black Music - drawing from funk, blues, gospel, and straight ahead swingin' - and cultivated an audience that remains as diverse as her uplifting music. She has maintained a high level of musicianship in her groups, mentoring some of the Bay Area's brightest young talent including pianist Benny Green, bassist/composer Marcus Shelby, and her daughter, pianist/compser Kito Kamili. Her vocal proteges include international superstars Kehlani and Ledisi.

Miss Faye has shared the stage with Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Pharaoh Sanders, Joan Baez, Billy Higgins, Albert King, Bobby Hutcherson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Buster Williams, Azar Lawrence, Steve Turre, Dennis Chambers, Bernard Purdie, Lenny White, Robert Randolph, Mistah F.A.B., Henry Butler, Gary Bartz, Casey Benjamin, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, LaToya London, Roy McCurdy, Cedar Walton, Ledisi, Philly Joe Jones, Dorothy Donegan, Pete Escovedo, David Murray, Chester Thompson, Charles Brown, and Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, among others. Miss Faye is also a dedicated educator and founder of School of the Getdown. She has been honored with the proclamation of a city-wide “Faye Carol Day” in the City of Berkeley and inducted into the Oakland Walk of Fame, the Meridian Mississippi Walk of Fame, and the Pittsburg Entertainment and Arts Hall of Fame, and has received countless awards including the 2014 Bay Area Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Hero Award, Jefferson Award for Public Service, four Cabaret Gold Awards, Top Star Awards Entertainer of the Year, and a prestigious 2021 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission.

Also a dedicated educator, Faye Carol is Founder & Executive Director of School of The Getdown. Operating in the Bay Area since 2000, it is School of The Getdown's mission to celebrate and promote Black music and to share these cultural traditions with diverse Bay Area communities through performance and educational programs, with particular attention towards youth and the Black community. School of The Getdown offers a vocal workshop series; private lessons in singing, instrumental music, and music history; lecture performances in schools and camps, and masterclasses with visiting artists. The organization produces multicultural and intergenerational concert series, festivals, lecture performances, commissioned artistic works, and thematic programming celebrating Black history and Black culture including Black Women's Women's Roots Festival, Give The Drummer Some concert series, Black Music Month Festival, after-school programs for youth, and an annual Youth Arts Camp.

www.fayecarol.com

@thedynamicmiss

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.
Jesus Diaz is endorsed by Pearl Drums and Percussion, Innovative Percussion sticks, Istanbul Cymbals, Audix Mics, and Remo Drum Heads.

www.jesusdiazqba.com

@jesusdiazqba

Host or Publisher A Train Productions