Latin Percussion is proud to announce that two longtime members of our
family, Armando
Peraza and Arturo Riera, recently walked away with top
honors in the Arts & Entertainment category at the Latino Business
Leadership Awards. Sponsored by the San Francisco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,
in collaboration with the San Francisco Business Journal and Wells Fargo,
the awards highlight increasingly powerful achievements in areas ranging
from philanthropy to the arts.
“Armando and I were the first winners ever in the Arts category,” reports
Arturo Riera, “and I was additionally happy to get an award
for my volunteer activities.” The ceremony took place September
29th at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency hotel. It was a lengthy black-tie
affair, filmed for both CBS and Univision television. Both men received
a plaque that included the inscription: “it is through the
contributions of leaders such as you that countless lives are changed
and futures made brighter. Congratulations.”
Peraza and Riera received a congressional citation and separate
citations from both houses of the California State Legislature. The
San Francisco Treasurer and Mayor gave special recognition to both
award recipients for their seminal roles in the enhancement of Latino
life and music.
Arturo Riera is recognized as a founding father of the Latino music
scene in San Francisco and handles West Coast special events for
LP. An outspoken proponent of Latino music and culture, he co-founded
the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco and has produced acclaimed
albums and live performance events. In addition, he keeps a tireless
schedule of relevant media undertakings, including the documentation
of Hispanic artist history. His recognition is long overdue.
Armando
Peraza left Cuba for New York City in the late forties and
instantly became recognized for his unique flare on congas. He succeeded
in uniting an affinity for contemporary jazz with his native Cuban
music and eventually played with all the greats, from Dizzy Gillespie
and Machito to Santana and George Shearing.
LP salutes our inner circle of friends and shares Arturo and Armando’s
pride in winning prestigious awards for their contributions to Latino
music.
In January 2003, LP unveiled the new LP
Accents Armando Peraza Signature Series Congas and Bongos as a tribute
to this percussion icon. His eighteen years with Santana, as well
as his groundbreaking work with Charlie "Bird" Parker,
George Shearing, and Cal Tjader certainly make Armando the perfect
namesake of a top-of-the-line series of congas and bongos.
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