Roland Vazquez

Drummer/composer Roland Vazquez was born in 1951, and upon witnessing a performance by Latin jazz conga legend Mongo Santamaria in 1963, he was inspired to follow a similar stylistic path. He played the drum kit in various R&B or rock bands around Los Angeles, then studied at Westminster College in Utah, receiving a B.A. He was back in L.A. shortly thereafter, forming his fusion combos the L.A. Jazz Ensemble, aka the Urban Ensemble, recording music that straddled the fence between commercial dance and descarga. Between 1978-1981, he was a prominent sideman with pianist Clare F...