Pete Escovedo Retirement Tour feat: Juan Escovedo, Peter M Escovedo and Sy Smith

Legendary Percussionist Pete Escovedo is an artist who broke down the barriers between Smooth Jazz, Salsa, Latin Jazz and contemporary music. His name has been synonymous in the music industry for more than 50 years. Pete is known worldwide for his live performances, session work and solo albums.

As a young boy he would sit on the steps of nightclubs and watch musicians play. Music became his outlet. When he was 15 years old he began to also sketch and paint on wood or cardboard. Anything he could get his hands on, he would start to draw.

Pete did not know that his love for music and art combined would change his life forever. And this is how it began.

At a young age, Juan Escovedo began teaching himself how to play bongos, congas, trap drums, timbales, percussion and other instruments. When he turned 14 he began playing with his father, Pete Escovedo.

Since that time, Juan has established himself in the the industry as undeniably a musician of complexity, style and originality. His artistic achievements flow from his rich musical heritage and compassion for his art form.

Juan Escovedo tours, writes and records both as a solo artist and with his family – father Pete Escovedo, brother Peter Michael and sister Sheila E. Currently they have a new CD titled “The-E-Family” which is quickly rising up the charts. Juan co-wrote and produced three of their new songs. The CD features Josh Stone, Gloria Estefan, Earth, Wind & Fire.

Peter Michael Escovedo III, Emmy nominated Musical Director / Producer, has earned recognition not only as a percussionist, but a producer, singer, songwriter, and television personality.

Peter Michael (named after his father, percussionist and original member of Santana, Pete Escovedo) has contributed in countless world tours, recordings and television productions.

He has produced television shows, written music for film, theme songs for television, composed, arranged, and produced music for various artists, and is currently releasing a new E. Family cd featuring: Joss Stone, Prince, Earth Wind & Fire, Gloria Estefan, Raphael Saadiq, and Israel Houghton.

Sy Smith has long since solidified her place in the world of underground soul music (she’s often called “the hardest working woman in underground soul”). This Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and producer helped cultivate the nu-soul scene in that city more than 10 years ago, a scene which now easily boasts some of the most progressive artists of that genre to date, some of whom came directly from Smith’s own band line-ups (including Thundercat and Kamasi Washington). Her catalog includes 5 studio albums, with contributions from a who’s who of producers (James Poyser of The Roots, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest and Nicolay of The Foreign Exchange). All 5 of her albums, including her brand new project  “Sometimes A Rose Will Grow In Concrete” have been heralded by critics around the world for Smith’s lyrical dexterity, her vocal whimsy (often colored with a very distinctive rhythmic swing that’s all her own) and her ability to spin a story like few others in soul music. Listeners often remark on Smith’s vocal range, which moves effortlessly from a speakeasy, gritty alto all the way to a stratospheric soprano whistle register reminiscent of the late Minnie Riperton.

Smith’s career began as a backing vocalist on some of the music industry’s most coveted gigs. She has provided supporting vocals for Whitney Houston, Sheila E., Meshell Ndegeocello, Chaka Khan, Usher, Macy Gray and The Rickey Minor Band (as seen on American Idol for six seasons and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno).  Most recently though, she’s caught the ear of jazz aficionados as a featured guest with Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti. Audiences around the world are often astounded to see Smith’s voice and Botti’s trumpet go note-for-note in playful competition on stage, and her performance of “The Look Of Love” on his Grammy-nominated DVD “Live In Boston” is an audience favorite. Jazz critics have also taken note of Smith’s solo performances in her genre-bending presentations (e.g. “SySingsJanet!”, her jazz-reworking of classic Janet Jackson songs), which include her often sitting in on piano, synth bass and manipulating her own vocal effects on with an on-stage processor.

Smith has received two NAACP Theater Award nominations, both for best supporting actress in a comedy/musical, for her theater work in Los Angeles (Michael Ajakwe’s If You Don’t Believe: A Love Story, Body Language), and she has numerous television acting credits (Ally McBeal, How I Met Your Mother, American Dad). Her voice can be heard as the character of Aisha on the popular video game franchise Saint’s Row (she also wrote/produced some of the music for this game!). She has an Emmy nomination for her songwriting (Best Music/Lyrics for “Welcome Back All My Soulmates” for HBO’s Dancing In September). This NYC-born/Washington DC-raised woman is a proud graduate of Howard University where she earned a bachelor of science in psychology.