Azteca was an American Latin rock/jazz fusion group formed in 1972, started by percussionists Coke Escovedo and his brother Pete Escovedo, who had just finished stints with Latin rock pioneering band Santana. Azteca was the first large-scale attempt to combine multiple musical elements in the context of a Latin orchestra setting, and featured horns, woodwinds, multiple keyboards, three vocalists, guitars, drums, and multiple Latin percussionists.
Onstage, the band consisted of between 15-25 members, and toured with acts including Stevie Wonder. Other notable Azteca alumni included vocalists Wendy Haas and Errol Knowles, guitarist Neal Schon, trumpeter Tom Harrell, bassist Paul Jackson, drummers Lenny White & John H. Brinck Jr., and percussionist Victor Pantoja. The group was also a musical starting point for Latin percussionist Sheila E. (the daughter of Pete Escovedo), who appeared with the band as a teenager. Two albums were released on Columbia Records, the self-titled Azteca (1972) and Pyramid of the Moon (1973), before the band split up.
On September 15, 2007, a number of the surviving members of Azteca performed together for the first time in more than thirty years in Hollywood, California. The concert was recorded for an eventual DVD release.
lyrics
Personnel:
Errol Knowles, Wendy Haas, Rico Reyes - Vocals
Pete Escovedo - Percussion & vocals
Tom Harrell - Trumpet
Pat O'Hara - Trombone
Bob Ferreira - Tenor sax, Flute
Mel Martin - Tenor, baritone and soprano saxes, flute
Bill Courtial, Neal Schon - Guitar
George Muribus, George DiQuattro, Mike Nock - Keyboards
Flip Nunez - Organ
Paul Jackson, Tom Rutley, Tony Juncale - Bass
Lenny White, John Brinck - Drums
Coke Escovedo - Timbales
Victor Pantoja - Conga & vocals
Also noteworthy is the superb artwork, by Bruce Steinberg, a real renaissance man of the funky West Coast scene (most famously associated with the mighty Tower Of Power), who sadly died fairly recently (Dec 2007). His Aztec style roundel, which the band used on both their album covers, incorporates guitars, horns and a circular keyboard motif... Moy groovy Mr Steinberg!
Label: Columbia – KC 32451
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genre: Funk / Soul, Latin
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