Manny Moka: Album Personnel

Brooklyn born Manny Moka began studying classical piano at an early age, but soon found himself influenced by the exposure to the broad musical spectrum that serves as an underscore to life in New York City. He eventually moved to the west coast doing independent production and arranging, but maintains close ties back east. On this album, he has assembled a stellar group of musicians to put down some burning tracks of original tunes that combine a sassy, funky attitude with picante latin rhythms. A smattering of smooth jazz along with a Clare Fischer classic round out the collection.

Bill Ortiz's sweet, full tone and clear, assertive trumpet attack have made him one of the most in-demand players on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. His performing and recording credits include work with such diverse artists and groups as Patti Austin, Cachao, Don Cherry, The Dramatics, Destiny's Child, En Vogue, Sheila E, James Ingram, Tito Puente, Flora Purim And Airto, Todd Rundgren, Arturo Sandoval, Chick Corea, Bobby Hutcherson, Boz Scaggs, TLC, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Cecil Taylor, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and Steve Winwood. Presently recording and touring with Santana, Bill stays very active as a studio musician in Hip-Hop,R&B and Jazz.

James Tinsley has held principal trumpet positions with the Portland Symphony, the Caracas Symphony of Venezuela, the Montreal Symphony and the Boston Opera. He has played with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras, founded the New Brass Ensemble, a quintet of African-American musicians, and was a member of Chick Corea's Return to Forever.

Jeff is a native of San Francisco who began playing trombone in the same Berkeley Public School Jazz Project that encouraged such comtemporaries as Peter Apfelbaum, Benny Green and Joshua Redman. He currently performs around the world as a member of Carlos Santana’s band. Jeff has performed and recorded with such artists as: Tito Puente, Poncho Sanchez, Francisco Aguabella, Pete Escovedo, Sheila E., Steve Winwood, Don Cherry, Peter Apfelbaum and the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, and John Santos and the Machete Ensemble. In addition to playing trombone, Jeff is also a highly sought after recording engineer.

Charlie Keagle narrowly escaped an academic career, taking degrees in music theory and composition, but his heart was in jazz and blues. Playing flute, clarinet and all saxophones, he has performed in ensembles ranging from work with Shelly Manne and Howard Roberts to Geoff Muldaur and "The Band", as well as various shows and recordings. Here in the Bay Area he is often found with the Larry Dunlap/Bobbe Norris groups and with Jim & Morning Nichols. He keeps up his "classical" chops by rehearsing a Woodwind Quintet weekly in his home studio.

Tom Brechtlein grew up in East Meadow, Long Island and gravitated to drums after listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. "When I was 18," he recalls, "I saw Chick Corea's Return To Forever on PBS Television; and I remember sitting there thinking, ' I'm going to play with that guy someday.'" Two years later, in 1978, he auditioned with Corea and got the gig. He remained in the band till 1983, at which point he joined Wayne Shorter's band. There followed extensive road work with guitarist Al Di Meola and violinist Jean Luc Ponty before Tom finally hooked up with Robben Ford in 1986. He has performed with Wayne Shorter, Ricki Lee Jones and Don Grusin among others. Tom is currently touring again with Chick Corea.

From his childhood in San Francisco, Karl Perazzo wanted to play with Santana. "I used to play with the band when I was younger," he jokes, "but then the needle broke." However, young Perazzo did have considerable talent, and had played with Cal Tjader, Malo, Ray Obiedo, Prince and Andy Narell by the time he was 12. His life-long dream was realized in 1991 when he joined Santana to play timbales. Perazzo has also performed and recorded with Mariah Carey, Dizzy Gillespie, Phish, The United Nations Orchestra and John Lee Hooker.

Uruguay born Edgardo Cambon began his professional career in Europe performing and touring with a variety of Latin jazz bands. After moving to San Francisco in 1987, he formed "Candela," a reknown band featuring some of the bay areas finest musicians. Traveling to Cuba, he studied with master drummers Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana, Justo Pelladito and Vizcaino Guillot and has participated in the Havana Jazz Festival and the Benny Moré Festival. He has sung and/or played with such artists as Jesús "Chucho" Valdez, Rebeca Mauleón and "Round World", Mark Levine, Andy Narrel, Keith Terry and "Crosspulse," "Sol y Luna Band," Carlos Santana, Jackie Rago, Michael Spiro, John Calloway, "Los Compas," and vocal group "So Vo Só," among many others.

This Minnesota native has been a long time San Francisco bay area resident who is a first-call bassist on everybody’s “A” list. It is by no means hyperbole to say that the people that he has either performed or recorded with are too numerous to mention, but a partial list would include Tom Scott, Dave Coz, Steve Miller, Dan Hicks, Stan Getz, Dave Grusin, Stanley Turrentine, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Kenny Rankin, Laurindo Almeida, Emmy Lou Harris, Robben Ford, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Jimmy Buffett, Marlena Shaw, Roy Rogers, and on and on.

Beginning from his early days growing up in New York City, Joel Landsberg was surrounded by varied musical influences. With a cultural mixture of musical styles ranging from Broadway to Classical, to Jazz and Rhythm and Blues, Joel began his bass playing career at the ripe old age of 12. He had the good fortune of being a protégé to bass legend Milt Hinton with whom he studied while in college. Now based in North Carolina, he currently performs around the world with the phenomenal group, The Kruger Brothers. Joel has the distinction of not only being the producer’s favorite bass player, but his favorite (and only) younger brother as well.