Juan Escobedo will celebrate his 65th birthday with a concert at Yoshi's Jazz Club on March 13th. (Contributed photo by Dr. Gethsemane Moss)
Since his teenage years, Juan Escobedo's life has been punctuated by the rhythms of Latin jazz congas and the sounds of trumpets.
Growing up with the famous percussionist Pete Escobedo as a father, it wasn't unusual to see musicians like Prince and Tito Puente jamming in the living room. With these great influences under his roof, Escobedo picked up his first instrument in his middle school and formed his own band.
Fifty years later, Escobedo hasn't stopped playing.
His family, including his brothers Sheila E. and Peter Michael, became his business partners and music became the family business. Although Escovedo's extensive touring and recording repertoire includes many famous artists, he always finds time to collaborate with his father and brothers, his professionally known family members. doing.
Marking his milestone birthday with fellow musical talent, Escobedo will be celebrating his 65th birthday the best way he knows how: singing R&B with his family.
The concert was held in Oakland, where the Escobedo family was recently awarded the road sign honor. On January 14, Escobedo Way was unveiled at Ninth Avenue and East 21st Street, commemorating the place where Escobedo's children grew up.
This is where Juan spent much of his early career playing clubs and where he learned how to deal with promoters. Although his family has moved around California over the years, Escobedo has remained true to his Bay Area roots.
“We're very well known in Oakland,” he said. “I've had a relationship with the club owner since I started the club, and I was too young to be there,” Escobedo said, adding that because he wasn't 21 years old, he took to the stage as soon as his set was over. he said, remembering that he had left the city.
His career skyrocketed in 1984, shortly after the film's release, when he opened for Prince on his Purple Rain tour with Sheila E. “A lot of my playing and work ethic came from watching Prince growing up,” Escobedo said, remembering Prince's way of conducting his band and the grueling 10-hour rehearsals over three months. Ta.
Every time Escobedo tours, he learns something new, including a different style he wants to practice. He toured, performed and recorded with Patti Labelle, Lou Vega, MC Hammer, Lionel Richie, Barry White, Cyndi Lauper and others, each time bringing new rhythms and beats.
“It’s always a learning process and you get better all the time,” Escobedo said. After decades of touring under his own name, Escovedo describes his accumulated knowledge as a library of different genres, fundamentals, and sounds.
During his months of playing other styles of music, he followed songs he really enjoyed and incorporated those elements into his own songs.
The result was his first solo album, The J, released in November 2021. Featuring 10 songs, including familiar covers like “Don't Stop Believin',” the album showcases Escovedo as a unique musician in his own right.
When Escovedo isn't writing, performing, or touring, he's busy helping his children with their musical journeys. His teaching days date back to when he was 15 years old and he would share his techniques informally. Today, Escobedo not only educates but also inspires young musicians.
Ms. Escobedo has expanded her reach to Solano County and currently teaches through the ELITE public school network in Vallejo. For the past two years, Escobedo has been lending her expertise and time to after-school programs for children who don't have a hobby or someone to pick them up right away.
Despite having a lot on his calendar, Escobedo shows no signs of slowing down.
“What I'm really happy about is that I'm still here,” Escobedo said, adding that she runs and exercises as often as possible. In addition to his healthy lifestyle, Escobedo said the unknown is the main factor keeping him going. “You never know what kind of phone call you're going to get today. My phone is always ringing, and I get a call to come to this studio, I get a call to play in another band. .”
“I do what I do because, first of all, I love it. And I get excited to perform with other artists,” Escobedo said. There's always something new for Escobedo, whether it's teaching kids, playing the latest concert at the casino, or being asked to meet a new band.
That means he has to stay on his toes.
“It’s not like 8-on-5 where you see the same people all the time,” he laughed. “I go in there prepared, learn the songs, practice and contribute to the community.”
If you go:
what: Juan Escobedo
when: March 13th at 8pm.10pm
where: Yoshi's Jazz Club, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland.
ticket: Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased online: yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/juan-escovedo-birthday-celebration/detail