Arts Tune-Ups

The award-winning City of Angels Saxophone Quartet has been delighting audiences for the past 23 years. The group offers a variety of audience experiences, from string quartet transcriptions and classical music to ragtime, the music of the 1920s, jazz standards, and a big band saxophone sound.

Written in both Spanish and English, Nancy Sanchez and her musical group perform her songs in a variety of styles for any occasion, from singer-songwriter, jazz standards and originals, mariachi, regional Mexican, pop, bossa nova, and more. Nancy has the ability to create both a powerful festival sound and a warm sound more appropriate for intimate gatherings. Her musical group includes both electric and acoustic instruments.

Updating and reinvigorating the lively son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, Conjunto Jardín specializes in presenting this style to a broad audience and features a female requinto player. "Instantly captivating, generating dancing in the aisles—a superb example of the manner in which traditional music and dance continue to have the power to reach out and gather in new, receptive audiences." —Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

Afrofuturist/Steamfunk band with a sound of its own and explosive live performances. Members include Sum, Sir Ian Dangerous, Sno Leopard (a two woman performance duo), DJ Jawa, Mat Mega & Taurus Hamilton. We are truly hip-hop, but we nod and pay homage to many sounds…funk, electronic, soul, world rhythms, ska, afrobeat, tribal music, classic rock, punk, surf rock, and whatever else we feel like doing at the moment. We are students of new music AND the great musical legacy that precedes us. It all comes together in a milky way.

Stix is an MC from Watts with a background in Rock, R&B, and DJ-ing. Stix has toured with and performed alongside artist like Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, 2 Chainz, Warren G, E-40, and Too Short…just to name a few.

Orquesta Charangoa plays traditional Cuban dance rhythms of son, mambo, cha-cha-cha, merengue, and danzon. A favorite in LA salsa dance circles, the group features flute, strings, three-part vocal harmonies, and Cuban percussion. They have shared the stage with Los Van Van, Isreal Lopez Cachao, and Nestor Torres, and performed at many festivals including Watts Towers Jazz Festival, the LA Salsa Festival, the LA Cuba Festival, the Oxnard Salsa Festival, and Dance Downtown at the Music Center.

Updating and reinvigorating the lively son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, Conjunto Jardín specializes in presenting this style to a broad audience and features a female requinto player. "Instantly captivating, generating dancing in the aisles—a superb example of the manner in which traditional music and dance continue to have the power to reach out and gather in new, receptive audiences." —Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times http://www.elserenocommunityarts.com/​

The Susie Hansen Band plays Afro-Cuban Latin jazz and salsa with Susie Hansen on electric jazz violin and vocals. Her band has three lead vocalists, a dynamic Latin rhythm section, and a horn section of tenor sax/flute, trombone, and trumpet. They play great danceable salsa, cumbia, merengue, Latin jazz, mambo, cha cha cha, charanga, bolero, samba, and more. They're a well-known and popular group in Southern California, playing 150 events per year since 1990. As Susie likes to say, “We aim for the feet!” They keep the dance floor full!

This group of individual mariachi musicians is truly an all-star mariachi made up of the best around the world. Many of Mariachi Espectacular’s members also produce, compose, arrange, and record. Grammy® Award-winning producer Beto Jimenez's idea when forming the group was to bring the highest level of mariachi talent together. They have recorded one CD entitled Pura Tradicion. This is an all-male group, but able to add in a female vocalist/musician to the ensemble upon request.

This band's repertoire spans seven decades and includes a choice of classic covers, rare gems, and award-winning original songs. Floyd & the Flyboys' unique sound is influenced by traditional soul, blues, funk, New Orleans R&B ,and roots rock.