Marco Diaz

(2020) Marco Diaz was born and raised in San Francisco and was introduced to the trumpet in the fourth grade at E.R. Taylor Elementary School. His formal training in both piano and trumpet began at the age of 14. He earned a scholarship from the Community Music Center in San Francisco, and began playing professionally at the age of 17 throughout the Bay Area with various Latin Jazz, Salsa, Reggae, and R&B bands. Upon graduating from high school, he continued his studies at San Francisco State University pursing a Bachelors of Arts in Popular Music and a minor in Economics.

Today, Marco is an accomplished recording musician who has shared the stage with Grammy Award winning artist, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Nelson Gonzales, Jimmy Bosch, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Ska Cubano (Europe), Tito Rojas, Nino Segarra, Anthony Cruz, Anthony Blea, Jovino Santos Neto, Joe Santiago, and is an integral member of the John Santos sextet and the musical director for Bobi Cespedes. Marco has participated with the San Francisco Symphony AIM program since 2000 and currently produces records and performs music throughout the country while also co-leading Vission Latina, an Afro-Caribbean dance band, VL Trio, and his own group.

Marco Diaz has been part of the faculty at the Community Music Center (CMC) in San Francisco and Jazz Camp West. He toured the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State with Bobi Cespedes, teaching children and adults the roots of Afro-Cuban music. He also is the musical director and co-producer of Bobi Cespedes’ latest album, Mujer y Cantante. Marco also performed at the San Francisco, Tanglewood, and Monterey Jazz Festivals, and the Smithsonian Museum with world-renowned ethno-musicologist John Santos and his Sextet. Marco had the honor of playing at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture with Bobi Céspedes.

Marco is currently also a teaching artist with SFJazz and has released his second self produced album, Insight.

Branch

Mission

Instruments

Genre

Jazz & Blues, Latin

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