SFJAZZ, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (YBGF) and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) are pleased to continue our collaboration in this six-week lecture series hosted by John Santos, featuring live musical examples (in weeks one and six), in addition to selections from Santos’ legendary collection of audio and video recordings.

‍The Sounds of Resistance

‍Music and dance remain foundation tools in the identity and documentation of the Afro/Latino/Indigenous peoples of the colonized Americas. As such, the arts become weapons of mass construction, giving hope, courage, clarity and love to countless distressed communities. Many musicians have forsaken the stardom attached to music in the Western world in order to preserve musical traditions that must evolve, but must not perish.

This series will uncover Latin America's long history of the musicians who have defined their art through progressive movements of social change.

‍Week 1. Colombia/Venezuela (with live performance by Jackie Rago)

‍Gaita, Cumbia, Vallenato, Joropo, Fulia, Tambor Redondo and Calypso are some of the traditional forms of expression used in this region that we will examine. This opening session will include a one-hour live musical presentation by Jackie Rago and her group. Jackie has been the leading force in representing the traditions from Venezuela here in the Bay Area since 1984