Back in 1997, fresh out of Berklee, I was always looking for better contacts, better gigs, trying to improve myself as a musician, and to maintain an upward trajectory careerwise.  Renato Thoms, who at the time was the conguero and bandleader at Wally’s on Thursdays, referred me to Sol Y Canto, a  Latin group with a focus on folkloric forms, which draws from a variety of styles from just about every tradition in Latin America.  Led by Brian and Rosi Amador, a Cambridge-based couple who have been sharing the stage since about 1984, Sol Y Canto presents a tasteful selection of standards from these many cultures, as well as original compositions which embody those styles and deal with many themes of social conscience.  They have produced a bilingual children’s album, titled “El Doble de Amigos-Twice As Many Friends.”  I hasten to add that I appear on this CD.

I have performed sporadically with the band since 1997, and back in 2000, I referred them to a good friend of mine as a sub, Bernardo Monk, a talented and accomplished alto saxophonist from Argentina.  It ended up that Bernardo was offered the gig, which helped to support him during his time here in Boston.  He moved back to Buenos Aires back in November, thus reviving my relationship with the band, which also features some very talented musicians, good friends of mine for many years: Renato Thoms, pianist Nando Michelin, and bassist Jorge Roeder.