Spend an evening in this enchanting courtyard setting enjoying live music, drinks, and the delicious Latin cuisine of Nob Hill's Guava Tree Cafe. The NHCC and Melaza Music have invited some of our musician friends, from the local community and outside, for lively summer get-togethers right next to the beautiful Rio Grande Bosque.

 

Cuban-born percussionist, arranger, vocalist, and educator Jesús Díaz, a resident of the Bay Area since 1980, is now one of the most in-demand performers and studio musicians worldwide. A key member of many of the region's leading Latin ensembles, he has performed with artists including Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, and Celia Cruz. His 10-piece orchestra Jesús Díaz y Su QBA, founded in 1998, has performed at numerous festivals as well as corporate and private events, with a repertoire of original compositions based on traditional Afro-Cuban music with influences of funk and jazz-the new Cuban dance music known as timba.

 

Joining Díaz as a special guest will be Grammy award-winner and four-time Grammy nominee Raul Pineda, named one of the best and most innovative Latin drummers in the world today. His unique style of playing-a blend of Afro-Cuban and contemporary jazz influences applied to the modern drum set-has made him one of Cuba's most influential drummers in his generation. Born and raised in Havana, he studied classical percussion for several years; at the age of 19, he was invited to join Síntesis, one of the country's most popular bands. Over the next six years, he recorded both the drum kit and batá drums for numerous critically acclaimed albums.