Click on a name to see the band member's photo and bio.
Norma Arias
- Lead Vocals
Dominic Cabrera
- Percussion and coro
Michael Crager
- Piano and coro
Doug Miner
- Trombone
Calvin Keaoola
- Violin
John Pfeiffer
- Bass
Chris Planas
- Tres and guitar
David-Sean Lance
- Percussion
Rene Valdeolivar
- Percussion
Adam Wood
- Flute, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
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Timbalero Rene Valdeolivar, also known as "The Hammer", was born and raised in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District. His family is of Mexican descent. Rene began his musical career at the age of 9, playing guitar and violin in the local St. Charles Grammer School. He was surrounded by friends of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage who introduced him to the music of Tito Puente, Johnny Rodriquez, Willie Colón, the Cesta All Stars, and the Algera All Stars. By the time he reached high school, Rene was playing percussion with, among others, John Calloway, who greatly influenced his playing.
In the musically diverse world that was San Francisco in the early 1970's, Rene found himself playing and studying at the Mission Cultural Center, a school of music and art, which gave him a strong musical foundation and the opportunity to be mentored by musicians such as John Calloway, John Santos and Carlos Federico. More recently, he has been a student of the great Louie Romero, who has further stirred his passion for music.
Rene has an avid love for all types of music. He has played with La Orquest Terífica and Mestizo, and is currently playing with the Latin jazz band Mambo Street. Oriente appreciates the percussion skills, spirit and sense of humor of this gentle giant!
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David-Sean Lance
Percussionist David-Sean Lance is Oriente's newest member. As versatile as he is passionate about Afro-Cuban Music, David-Sean (A.K.A. Davisito) plays timbal, bongo, and conga. In Feburary of 2003, David-Sean traveled to Havana, Cuba to study at the National School of the Arts (ENA). He has returned every year since, studying with his
elders and performing with his friends. When David-Sean is in Cuba he frequently performs with Orlando Canto (flutist and founding member of Los Van Van). In the U.S. David-Sean has performed with
Jesús Díaz and John Calloway.
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Adam Wood spent the 1980's rocking out in the old San Francisco Broadway club scene with cutting edge bands The Yiddish Dragoons, Bachelor Number One, and occasional guest appearances with Twist and Scream, The Three Mouseguitars, and GASM. Live music took a little hiatus from San Francisco clubs in the late 1980's and early 1990s, so many musicians retreated to various jazz camps in the woods to regroup.
During this musical "Valley Forge", Adam was lucky enough to learn from many of the Bay Area's most talented teachers and performers, including Gordon Fels, Evelyn Mann, Dee Spencer, Ken Rosen, Wayne Wallace, and Rebecca Mauleon. All of these fine musicians have been an inspiration to Adam, who is especially indebted to Wayne and Rebecca for opening his ears to the sounds of Latin music.
For the last few years, Adam played with and learned from the great musicians of Mestizo, and is now enjoying his new collaboration with Oriente.
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Keyboard player, composer and arranger Mike Crager has been involved with music most of his life. Originally from Colorado, he began classical piano studies at the age of seven. Mike began playing jazz in the late 1970's, and worked for several years with small jazz ensembles in Palo Alto and Chicago. He fell in love with Afro-Cuban music when he heard Tito Puente and later Paquito D'Rivera perform at San Francisco's Keystone Korner, and he went on to study with John Santos at the Mission Cultural Center in the early 1980's. After 3 years with the jazz trio Rare Appearance in Chicago, Mike formed a quartet that played Latin jazz in Palo Alto and later played for seven years with San Francisco-based Mestizo. Mike loves to mix traditional and modern music and keep alive the connections between music, dance, lyrics and life!
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John Pfeiffer has possessed a keen ear for music ever since hearing his mother's strong contralto voice and his father's classical piano while still in the womb. Once he was born, and began to watch television, he honed his aural discernment even further by parsing out The Jetsons theme song melody (what a crescendo!) through the thunder of his father's Chopin etudes. Fortunately, John's father did a rousing version of Malaguena which forced a bit of Latin flavor into his head early on. Later, in college, hanging around with friends from Venezuela and Colombia, John was introduced to great New York and Caribbean salsa from artists like Ruben Blades and the Fania All Stars. John's formal bass studies began at the tender age of thirty-nine when, for his birthday, his wife blindfolded him, drove him to Guitar Center, and bought a Fender bass and amp. John currently studies with Michael Wilcox in the bay area, continues to hone his tumbao, and laments those many, wasted bass-less years.
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Violinist Calvin Keaoola, native to Hawaii, has performed with such luminaries as Scotland's Alasdair Fraser, Hawaii's Don Ho, Nashville's Bobby Black and Bay Area blues artist Johnny Nitro, showing expertise in all styles from jazz to country to Hawaiian to pop. His violin/fiddle was featured on major market TV, including CBS's Nash Bridges Show (Paramount Pictures), and on albums by Ku'uipo Kumukahi and Frank Hewett, both multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award (Hawaiian Grammy!) winners. He has also performed with the legendary rock band It's a Beautiful Day; salsa bands, including La Orquesta Moderna Tradición with Roberto Borrell, and Salsa Hawaii; swing bands, including Jazz Mine, Chazz Cats; the Global Paradigm Persian band; Seraphina; and the Callisto String Quartet, among others. Whether demonstrating electrifying intensity, mellow sensitivity or soulful sexuality, Cal's playing is passionate and evocative. Acclaim for Calvin from Johnny Nitro, blues artist: "Great musical drive, creativity, and surge of energy ... "
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Lead vocalist and lyricist Norma Arias is a native of San Francisco's Mission District. Her parents were born in Cd. Guzman, Jalisco (Mexico), birthplace of the Mariachi. During her childhood, her parents filled the house with music from various regions of Mexico and Cuba. Group singing was always a part of family gatherings but Norma did not have an opportunity to sing publicly until she sang with her cousin's mariachi, El Jalisience, which appeared regularly in the local bar La Rondalla in San Francisco.
At the city's Cathedral High School, Norma and two friends formed the a capella group "Shades of Harmony", rearranging current popular tunes in three-part harmony. Since then, she has performed as lead vocalist for San Francisco Latin rock groups Phase II and Mestizo. Norma also sung with the ecclectic Latin groove band Safari, with which she has especially fond memories of performing for Celia Cruz's 80th birthday party and opening the Latin Jazz Festival in Fort Meyers, Florida. Norma has always had an interest in and an appreciation for a wide range of music, and loves using her unique voice to capture the emotion of a song and share it with her audience.
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Guitarist Chris Planas grew up in Hawaii and has been entertaining audiences there and in California for the past twenty-three years. Chris plays accoustic and electric guitars as well as the Cuban tres. He is also a vocalist and bandleader in his own right.
Chris was a founding member of Hawaii's favorite world beat band Pagan Babies, which played Afro-pop, reggae, Latin styles from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Haiti, and other Caribbean sounds. Pagan Babies enjoyed a 12-year residence at Anna Bannana's. Former members include Frank Orrall of Poi Dog Pondering and John Nelson of Thievery Corporation. The band has played in Papua New Guinea, Bangkok and California clubs such as Slim's in San Francisco and the Palomino Club in Los Angeles.
Shortly after joining a Waikiki house band playing classic and roots-inflected rock, Chris was asked to put together bands for oldies acts playing the music of The Drifters, The Shirelles, Mitch Ryder, and Al Wilson. During this time, he also played on the Star of Honolulu for their nightly sunset dinner cruises, playing contemporary, jazz, and Hawaiian music.
Chris was a member of Salsa Hawaii, one of Hawaii's first salsa bands, lead by Rolando Sanchez, in which he played alongside former Conjunto Cespedes tresero Bob Razon.
Chris has performed his own compositions at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He has recorded with revered Hawaiian artists Bla Pahinui and Robi Kahakalau; Pahinui featured Chris's playing prominently on his acclaimed release Guava Soul.
Returning to the music that first inspired him, Chris formed the blues/jump/soul band Third Degree in 1995, offering lectures and
demonstrations on American blues styles in Hawaii's public libraries and public schools through the University of Hawaii's Outreach College, as well as playing in clubs and concert settings. Chris and Third Degree have provided support to Delmark blues recording artists Dave Specter and Steve Freund on numerous visits to the islands. Chris has performed jazz guitar music in solo, duo, trio and larger groups, playing restaurants, weddings and as a featured artist at the Annual Hawaii Jazz Blow-Out. He is also experienced in Brazilian jazz styles.
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Doug Miner has played trombone since attending elementary school in Belmont, CA, holds a Master's degree in music performance on bass-trombone and has been a public school music teacher since 1976, with teaching experience at all levels. He is a fellow of the California Arts Project, has co-owned two music stores and a sound company (worked with Juice Newton, The Flying Burrito Brothers, the David Grisman Quintet, Rose Maddox, Hank Williams, Jr. and many others).
As a freelance trombonist throughout northern California since 1969, Doug has played or recorded with Maynard Ferguson, Bob Hope, Tony Randal, Anthony Newly, Joel Grey, Richie Cole, Louis Bellson, Mic Gillette, Dave Garibaldi, Roco Prestia, Angela Bofill, Norton Buffalo, Maria Muldaur, Ray Vega, Mark Levine, Jorge Santana, Tito Puente, Jr., Sapo, the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, the Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra, the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, the Full Spectrum Big Band, the Don Piestrup Big Band, the Cuz Cuzno Big Band, the Rudi Castro Big Band, the Matt Schon Big Band, the Rudi Salvini Big Band, the Chops Big Band, the Jose Alfredo Mohica Big Band, the Tuesday Night Live Big Band, and many others.
In addition to playing in Oriente Doug is also a regular with Safari, The Bill Travis Swing Orchestra, a society swing band, and Groove West, a corporate party band. He is also the conductor of the West Bay Community Band.
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Percussionist Dominic Cabrera arrived in San Francisco from the Philippines by way of New York City where for a decade he lent his percussive talents to a diverse range of musical projects. From funk to folk, jazz, bossa, samba, salsa, rumba, rock, and pop, Dominic's loose yet articulate style and musical sensitivity make him an asset in any group. NYC club appearances include dates at the Mercury lounge, Arleen's Grocery, Baby Jupiter, Fez, and The Knitting Factory. In addition to regular appearances in the Downtown scene, Dominic also worked as a collaborator and accompanist for dance-theater pieces, most notably "Amerigrant" at Lincoln Center and "Thirteen Movements for Mother" at Brooklyn Arts Exchange. His percussive styling can be heard on many independent releases and as part of the Cuban-music sound track to the independent film "Media Noche."
In addition to playing with Oriente, Dominic is expanding his formidable repertoire of styles as a member of Flamenco music group Potaje. He also plays Afro-Cuban son with Los Boleros and is a founding member of the Bossa/Samba group trio, Dália.
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