“The Annex Sessions” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 6-8:30pm with

The Saúl Sierra Quartet

Marco Diaz- keyboard

Julio Perez- percussion

Ahkeel Mestayer- percussion

Saúl Sierra- bass

The Saúl Sierra Quartet performs a diverse number of Latin American rhythms all inside the Latin Jazz genre including music from Saúl’s latest album Caminos.

Marco Diaz: Keyboard

Marco Diaz was born and raised in San Francisco and was introduced to the trumpet in the fourth grade at E.R. Taylor Elementary School. His formal training in both piano and trumpet began at the age of 14. He earned a scholarship from the Community Music Center in San Francisco, and began playing professionally at the age of 17 throughout the Bay Area with various Latin Jazz, Salsa, Reggae, and R&B bands. Upon graduating from high school, he continued his studies at San Francisco State University pursing a Bachelors of Arts in Popular Music and a minor in Economics.

In addition to his studies Marco has been influenced by Afro-Cuban music through world renowned musicians, such as, Jesus Diaz, who he played and recorded with for eight years, John Santos, Orestes Vilato, Edgardo Cambon, and Carlos Caro.

Today, Marco is part of the faculty at the Community Music Center in San Francisco and has been a part of the SFJAZZ teaching artist program since 2017. He is an accomplished recording musician who has shared the stage with Grammy Award winning artist, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Nelson Gonzales, Jimmy Bosch, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Ska Cubano (Europe), Tito Rojas, Nino Segarra, Anthony Cruz, Anthony Blea, Jovino Santos Neto, Joe Santiago, and is an integral member of the John Santos sextet, and the musical director for Bobi Cespedes.  Marco has participated in the San Francisco Symphony AIM program since 2000 and currently produces records and performs music throughout the country while also co-leading Vission Latina, an Afro-Caribbean dance band, and director of his own quartet, The Marco Diaz Quartet.

In 2011, Marco Diaz was part of the faculty at Jazz Camp West. He toured the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State with Bobi Cespedes, teaching children and adults the roots of Afro-Cuban music. Marco also performed at the San Francisco, Tanglewood, and Monterey Jazz Festivals, and the Smithsonian Museum with world renowned ethno-musicologist, John Santos and his Sextet. In the Fall, Marco began his ninth season with the San Francisco Symphony’s AIM (adventures in music) program.

Julio Perez: Percussion

Born in Puerto Rico, Julio Perez shares a long history with other band members Marco Diaz, Saul Sierra, and Carlos Caro making music in the San Francisco Bay Area and also when he visits home in Puerto Rico. Julio plays all the percussion instruments with precision and feeling, and from memory as well, since he lost his sight as a young boy. Julio brings great musicianship and great friendship to VibraSON and co-stars in a number of other productions around the area including concerts by Bobi Cespedes, John Santos, Marco Diaz and other local bands.

Ahkeel Mestayer: Percussion 

Ahkeel Mestayer is a percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and Grammy Academy member based in San Francisco. Rooted in Afro Cuban and Afro Brazilian folkloric styles, he crosses into other genres and is open to experimental collaboration, always putting his heart into the music and to connect with audiences through his music.

Saùl Sierra-Alonso: Bass

Saùl Sierra-Alonso has played with many of the Latin bands in the Bay Area and studied at the famous Berklee School of Music in Boston. Saùl has worked extensively in the Salsa and Latin music scene and offers great expertise and musical experience.

Saúl Sierra Born and raised in Mexico City, where he started playing professionally in 1990. He moved to Boston Mass. in 1995 and attended the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in the summer of 1999, with a major in Performance. Some of his teachers included Oscar Stagnaro, Rich Appleman, Daniel Morris, and Jim Stinnet. He received the US Scholarship tour award and the Outstanding Performer award at Berklee.

As a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area since the fall of 1999, Saúl has performed, toured or recorded with Nestor Torres, Jimmy Bosh, Eddie Montalvo, Johny Rodríguez, Orestes Vilató, Bobi Céspedes, Antonio Sánchez, Miles Peña, John Santos, Jesús Díaz, Rebeca Mauleón, Mark Levine, Greg Landau, Mike Spiro, Jackeline Rago, Chuchito Valdez, Alexander Livinali, Wayne Wallace, Aquiles Baez, Marco Granados, Anthony Blea, Doug Beavers, and María Márquez, among others.

For the past 10 years Saúl has been a member of some of the leading bands in the Bay Area, including The John Santos Quintet/Sextet, Bobi Cespedes’ band, Dr. Loco’s Rocking Jalapeño Band, El Tren Trío, Anthony Blea y su Charanga, The Snake Trío, Jesús Díaz y su QBA, The Bay Area Afro-Cuban All Stars, The Venezuelan Music Project, Corazón Sur, and Sababa band.

A founding member of Vission Latina, the band that he co-leads with Carlos Caro, percussionist extraordinaire, and Marco Díaz, virtuoso multi-instrumentalist (piano/trumpet ), Saúl keeps himself busy performing, composing, arranging and teaching in the world class musical community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

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The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.

All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.

Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.

COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES

Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.

TICKETS

Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.

“The Annex Sessions” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 6-8:30pm with the

Azure McCall Group

Spencer Allen on piano/bass

Sheldon Alexander on drums

Yishaia Hoffman on guitar

Azure McCall on vocals

Multi-award winning vocalist brings her dynamic trio together to play classic be-bop jazz of Sarah Vaughn, songs by Stevie Wonder, down home blues, and Bossa Nova and funk classics.

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions. The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.

All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.

Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.

COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES

Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.

TICKETS

Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the register.

The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 6-8:30pm at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) with

The Marina Lavalle Trio

Marina Lavalle – Lead Vocalist

Erick Peralta – Piano

Pedro Rosales – Cajon, Backing Vocals

Marina Lavalle, a Bolero, Valse & Lando evening…

Musician Bios:

Marina Lavalle (Vocalist)
Afro-Peruvian singer Marina Lavalle is one of the most distinctive performers in the Bay Area and one of the great voices of modern Peruvian music. An important figure in the resurgence of Afro-Peruvian music being Peru Negro Cultural Association Lead vocalist during 70s, Marina nurtures a carefully crafted blend of contemporary and traditional sounds. Accompanied by guitar, piano and Peruvian cajón, she renders a soulful and vibrant interpretation of an array of rhythms in her musical heritage such as: Landó, Bolero, and Valse, just to name a few.

Erick Peralta (Piano)

Erick Peralta is a versatile musician with a special appreciation for all styles of music, permitting him to keep open ears for the development of music, while still keeping in mind tradition and history. From an early age, Erick was exposed to various styles of music thanks to his father, such as Latin-Pop, Afro-Peruvian, and Afro Cuban music. Classically trained from 6 years old, he began playing professionally in the year 2005, at the age of 15, then branching out in the San Francisco Bay Area with various Jazz, Rock, Latin Jazz, and Salsa groups.

Following his studies at the SF Community Music Center and the Jazzschool in Berkeley, he’s had jazz studies with late pianist Ray Santisi, Laszlo Gardony, Danilo Perez, Tia Fuller, Ed Tomassi, David Santoro, as well as with Papo Lucca from Sonora Ponceña, and Oscar Hernandez of SHO. Now a graduate from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Erick currently resides in the city of San Francisco. Past notable performances include having worked with multi-Grammy winners Alejandro Sanz, Luis Enrique, and Susana Baca; as well has worked with artists such as Pedrito Martinez, John Santos, Juan Medrano “Cotito”, La India, Tito Nieves, Bayonics, and Grupo 5, and more.

Erick has taken part performing in various festivals and venues, such as: San Jose Jazz Festival, the Latin Grammy Awards, Fillmore Jazz Festival, the Independent, The Regency Ball Room, The Fillmore, the Blue Note Napa, San Francisco International Salsa Festival, Berklee Performance Center, Boston Convention Center, the Beantown Jazz Festival, and many more.

Along with performing, Erick works in composing and arranging in Jazz, Pop, and Latin music. Currently he is working on several projects, including his own project featuring original jazz compositions for various ensembles.

Always having been a strong advocate for music education, Erick forms part of the faculty at SF Community Music Center, as well serves as a private music teacher in his home studio, teaching piano in styles such as Jazz, Latin, R&B, and Pop, as well as music theory, composition, and arranging.

Pedro Rosales (Cajon-vocals)

Proyecto Lando director Pedro Rosales is a renowned cajon player celebrated for his fierce, energetic playing, his expressive vocal interpretations, his sensitivity as an accompanist, and his creative and prolific compositions.

Born in Lima, Peru, Pedro discovered his passion for the cajon at the age of fourteen, taking classes with maestro Ernesto Sandoval at the Museo de Arte de Lima. By 1989, he had joined folklorist Julio Casanovas’ Tradiciones Peruanas ensemble as a percussionist. In 1992, Pedro moved to San Francisco, where he co-founded the experimental ensemble Malambo Kombo with pianist Jorge Molina. In 1995, he co-founded De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association, who released four albums under his musical direction through 2013: “El Retorno” (2001), “Diaspora Negra” (2009), children’s album “Huaranguito” (2011) and Marina Lavalle’s “Sutil” (2010). In 2009, Pedro founded Proyecto Lando, releasing a number of original compositions in collaboration with arranger Felipe Pumarada, and performing extensively throughout Northern California.

Pedro’s skills as a cajon player developed under the guidance of his mentors, master Afro-Peruvian percussionists Manuel “Manguey” Vasquez, Eusebio “Sirio” Pititi, Braulio Barrera, and “Lalo” Izquierdo (founder, choreographer, percussionist/dancer of Peru Negro Cultural Association). Pedro is honored to have accompanied many of the most celebrated Peruvian singers and artists, including Pepe Vasquez, Jesus Vasques, Luis Abanto Morales, Arturo Zambo Cavero, Oscar Aviles, Lucia de la Cruz, Lucila Campos, Peru Negro, Bartola, Jorge Luis Jasso, Manuel Donayre, Rosa Flor, Carlos Hayre and Elizabeth Panchano, among others.

Pedro is well-known in the Bay Area music scene as a collaborator, sharing his knowledge and curiosity with musicians immersed in a variety of Afro-latin traditions.

~

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.

All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.

Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.

COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES

Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.

TICKETS

Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.

The Annex Sessions will continue on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 6-8:30pm at The Annex (El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex) 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito with

Rhonda Benin & Friends

featuring:

Rhonda Benin – vocals

& special guests

Jazz, Blues, Soul, and Pop

www.rhondabenin.com

Musician Bios:

RHONDA BENIN – Vocalist, Producer, Artist Teacher

“Benin’s got a coolly hip vocal, with a bit of hush and sugar and an undercurrent of big booming power. She can bend notes with a bass, talk serenade with a piano and steam the kettle from the drums”.                                                                     Ran Pacifica Tribune

San Francisco Bay Area vocalist, Rhonda Benin has earned a reputation for not just a good voice but showmanship, magnetic stage personality, humor, and of course her great dancing.  Rhonda’s impressive resume includes performances at SF Jazz, Yoshi’s, MOAD, The Healdsburg, Sonoma, Burlingame, Sausalito, Filmore, and Calistoga Jazz Festivals.  In the summer of 2012 Rhonda traveled to Hangzhou, China for a 3 month engagement at the JZ Jazz Club and was 2014 USA headliner for The Kigali Up Music Festival in Kigali, Rwanda.  In addition to singing, Rhonda is producer and founder of the annual Women’s History Month show “Just Like A Woman” a tribute to Bay Area Women In Music. Benin is a 26 year member of The GRAMMY nominated vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and The Cultural Heritage. She appears on the CHC’s 7 Cd’s and has toured 30 countries performing and recording with legendary artists such as Taj Mahal, Wilson Pickett, Richie Havens, Odetta. Al Green, Keb Mo, Santana, Patti Austin, Janis Ian, Jackson Brown, Hugh Masekela & Sweet Honey In The Rock.

 In 2006 Rhonda produced her first solo CD, A Matter of the Heart a classic mix of jazz, blues, and soul and is currently working on her 2^nd CD.

Rhonda is on the teaching staff of Healdsburg Jazz ‘s Operation Jazz Band, San Francisco Arts Project, LEAP, California Conservatory of Music, Cal Performances and conducts her own school assemblies and workshops, “The Voice, The Hands The Feet”  “Twist and Shout” and “Love Letters Make Me Misty Blue”.

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.

All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.

Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.

COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES

Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.

TICKETS

Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.