Great musicians do more than simply play music throughout their careers; their lives involves many roles. The natural extensions of their musical expressions start their journeys outside the realm of performance. A dedicated musician will take the plunge into arranging and eventually composition, shaping their ideas into a more concrete form for their audience. Musicians that find themselves deeply interested in discovering their voices as composers will dig further into their influences, discovering the elements that drove their role models to create. As the information becomes more compelling, the musicians find themselves thrust into the role of historian. A theoretical analysis of the pitches and rhythms behind their role models just won’t do; these musicians are fully invested in the historical lineage. They need to understand the elements of their role models’ lives that inspired them to create these works of art. They investigate the people and places surrounding their role models and eventually expand their understanding into the greater scene. Their newfound knowledge generally leads to conversations about history, and these same musicians evolve into educators. They guide younger musicians into a greater knowledge of the genre’s performance practices and they make sure that their community understands the history behind the music. Education and performance become intertwined as these musicians start to see the need to broader understanding among the general public. As their voice becomes louder and more respected, they take on the role of advocate, bravely championing the cause of their music around the world. For many musicians, this becomes an inevitable course that can define their careers.

Drummer Bobby Sanabria has long played all of these roles, growing into one of the most well respected musicians in the modern Latin Jazz world. His skills as a performer won him work supporting some of the most important figures in Latin Jazz history including Mongo Santamaria, Mario Bauza, and Larry Harlow. As he fine-tuned his musical concept, Sanabria stepped into the front of his own small ensembles, Ascension and Quarteto Aché. His connection to the rich history of big band Latin Jazz led him to form his own ensemble, giving us two of the finest Latin Jazz big band albums in recent years, Afro-Cuban Dream … Live & In Clave!!! and Big Band Urban Folktales. Sanabria dedicated himself to Latin Jazz education long ago, and he continues that work passionately today. As a faculty member at both the Manhattan School of Music and The New School, Sanabria leads a new generation of musicians through the beauty of Afro-Cuban Jazz. His insightful leadership guided the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra into a concert celebrating Machito’s classic Kenya album, resulting in one of the year’s best releases. Over the past few years, Sanabria has grown into one of the most respected and knowledgeable Latin Jazz historians and advocates today. His tireless work has led to educational articles in magazines, interviews online and on public access shows, as well as lectures and clinics across the country. Most recently, Sanabria has been a prime voice behind the production of the PBS documentary Latin Music USA. His historical knowledge has informed a good deal of information throughout the documentary, but he has also traveled extensively to promote the show. In today’s Latin Jazz world, Sanabria stands apart as an important voice that demonstrates the power of the musician as performer, historian, educator, and advocate.

You’ve got the opportunity to interact with Sanabria on all of these levels in an upcoming PBS chat session. In conjunction with the Latin Music USA documentary, Sanabria will be answering questions about Latin Jazz and more today Tuesday October 13th at 2:00 p.m. EST. You can either submit your questions before the chat or interact directly during the discussion. Check out the full scoop and submit your questions HERE. If you can’t check out the session live, it will be archived following the event. In celebration of this chat, we’ll be featuring Sanabria in today’s Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix, engaging in several different roles. Enjoy!

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Bobby Sanabria Performing With Ascension

Bobby Sanabria Directing The Manhattan School Of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra

Bobby Sanabria Discusses Clave

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You can post a question for Bobby Sanabria before 2:00 p.m. EST by going to the PBS Engage website HERE. If you can’t check out the live chat, it will be archived later.

For More on Latin Music U.S.A., check out:
The Latin Music U.S.A. Website

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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in - it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans - let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE

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Check Out These Related Posts:
Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Latin Music USA
More Thoughts About JazzTimes And Latin Jazz Coverage From Bobby Sanabria
Album Of The Week: El Espiritu Jibaro, Roswell Rudd and Yomo Toro
Album Of The Week: Big Band Urban Folktales, Bobby Sanabria

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