Grupo los Santos is a NYC-based 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 currently consist of electric guitar, electric bass, drums, and tap dance/body percussion, often augmented with Afro-Cuban batá drums. They are currently releasing their fourth album, Santos 4.
TIMELINE
1985: Guitarist Pete Smith and drummer William “Beaver” Bausch meet at Oberlin.
1998: After years of studying Cuban music in NYC (and Canada), Beaver studies Spanish at El Taller, and heads to Cuba with tap dancer Max Pollak. Upon his return, Grupo los Santos is formed with Pete, Paul Carlon (tenor sax), and Nicholas Walker (bass) to workshop these musical concepts within an instrumental (jazz?) context. They play weekly at El Taller developing their approach.
1999: Santos record their first album Noches en el Taller; they perform with Max at NYC’s Town Hall with Juan Pablo Torres’s all-star Super Son Cubano. Max also works with los Muñequitos de Matanzas to incorporate tap dance into their shows.
2000: Founding bassist Nicholas Walker departs to continue his studies in France. David Ambrosio joins the band.
2001: Santos join Max in Havana, jamming with rumba masters Clave y Guaguancó and playing a set at jazz club La Zorra y el Cuervo. Max performs at el Teatro Nacional with Chucho Valdez and Gerardo Piloto of Klimax.
2007: Santos release their 2nd disc Lo que somos lo que sea, featuring Max on two tunes.
““Rumbatap pioneer” Max Pollack joins the group on the opener, “Rumba in the Bronx,” and his clickety-clacking meshes well with the group’s sound. After a moody intro, Bausch’s Flamenco-fied “Absurdities and Atrocities” gets a stunning treatment at the hands of guitarist Smith, whose solos are the highlights of this engaging CD.” Miles Jordan, CN&R
“One of the highlights of the show was the album's opening track, "Rumba in the Bronx," a composition by drummer William "Beaver Bausch that features the tap talents of Max Pollak. On disc, Pollak's presence is only noticed during part of the tune, but his footwork on the track is nevertheless brilliant. Live, he stole the show by walking on stage singing an Afro-inspired chant and then performing solo. The group joined him four minutes later, playing a low-key but groovy rendition of the tune, keeping the dynamics low so as to hear Pollak better.” Ernest Barteldes, All About Jazz
2012: Santos release their 3rd disc Clave Heart. Recorded at Avatar Studios, it features Max tapping and singing on two tunes, the magic flute of Kaori Fujii on two tunes, and marks the recording debut of Dave on batá drums.
“Clave Heart is pretty amazing, a mixture of religious singing and rhythms from Cuba and an absolutely modern Brooklyn jazz sensibility. It is a strange combination at first, because the music seems so right, so authentic in its intent, yet there's nothing traditional or academic about it at all. It all just works right, the group conception, the improvisation, the sound, rough and natural.” Peter Watrous: Editor’s Pick, Descarga.com
“Grupo Los Santos is a small ensemble that melds together a number of idioms and metaphors that are culled from jazz to Afro-Caribbean in a powerful, muscular mix of music that is original and memorable. On Clave Heart this music emerges with much swagger and rhythmic intensity as each song unfurls narrating the story of a journey that is flush with melodic invention, harmonic complexity and rhythmic excitement.” Raul Da Gama, Latin Jazz Net
