Azteca was a

Latin rock Latin rock is a term to describe a subgenre blending traditional sounds and elements of Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean folk with rock music. However, it is widely used in the English-language media to refer any kind of rock music featurin ...

band formed in 1972 by

Coke Escovedo Joseph Thomas "Coke" Escovedo (April 30, 1941 – July 13, 1986) was an American percussionist, who came from a prominent musical family including five musician brothers and his niece, Sheila E. He played in various genres, including R&B, ja ...

and his brother

Pete Escovedo Peter Michael Escovedo (born July 13, 1935 in Pittsburg, California) is an American percussionist. "Pete Escovedo Biography & Awards"/ref> With his two brothers, Pete formed Escovedo Bros Latin Jazz Sextet, before Carlos Santana hired Pete and ...

, who had just finished stints with Latin rock pioneering band

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

. Azteca was the first large-scale attempt to combine multiple musical elements in the context of a Latin orchestra setting, and featured horns, woodwinds, multiple keyboards, three vocalists, guitars, drums, and multiple Latin percussionists.

History

On stage, the band consisted of between 15 and 25 members, and toured with acts including Stevie Wonder. Other notable Azteca alumni included vocalists

Wendy Haas Wendy Haas-Mull (born c. 1949) is an American vocalist and keyboardist best known for her work with the bands Santana (band), Santana and Azteca (band), Azteca. Biography Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Wendy Haas began her musical car ...

and Errol Knowles, guitarist

Neal Schon Neal ( Neil) is a given masculine name and surname of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "hon ...

, trumpeters

Tom Harrell Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. Voted Trumpeter of the Year of 2018 by ''Jazz Journalists Association'', Harrell has won awards and grants throughout his career, including mul ...

and Eddie Henderson, bassist

Paul Jackson Paul Jackson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Paul Jackson (bassist) (1947–2021), American jazz fusion bassist * Paul Jackson Jr. (born 1959), American jazz fusion guitarist * Paul Jackson (poker player), English professional poker player ...

, drummers Lenny White and John H. Brinck Jr., and percussionist Victor Pantoja. The group was also a musical starting point for Latin percussionist Sheila E. (the daughter of Pete Escovedo), who appeared with the band as a teenager. Two albums were released on Columbia Records, the self-titled '' Azteca'' (1972) and ''Pyramid of the Moon'' (1973), before the band split up. On September 15, 2007, a number of the surviving members of Azteca performed together for the first time in more than thirty years in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. The concert was recorded for an eventual DVD release.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Azteca'' (1972) U.S. #151Billboard

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

* ''Pyramid of the Moon'' (1973)

Live albums

* ''From the Ruins'' (2008) * ''La Piedra Del Sol'' DVD (2008)

References

External links

Pete Escovedo website

Azteca MySpace site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azteca 1972 establishments in California 1976 disestablishments in California American rock music groups Latin music groups Columbia Records artists Musical groups established in 1972 Musical groups disestablished in 1976