September 22, 2026, Berkeley, California — The Jazzschool Community Music School in Berkeley, CA announces a full calendar of concerts, workshops, and free public programs in October.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the school celebrates the contributions of Latinx musicians in the Bay Area through a series of concerts and special events organized in collaboration with Jazzschool faculty and local luminaries.

The ¡Sonidos Latinos! concert series presents four Saturday performances highlighting prominent players in the Bay Area Latin jazz, salsa, and Afro-Caribbean music scenes, programmed by Jazzschool instructor and veteran bandleader Edgardo Cambón. The series features Edgardo Cambón’s LaTiDo (Oct 3); the Marco Díaz Quartet (Oct 10); the Christelle Durandy Quartet: ¡LAS que escribieron! (Oct 17); and Jackeline Rago: Venezuela 360 (Oct 24).

Free community events include a screening of The Last Mambo with introduction by director Rita Hargrave (Oct 4) and a Hispanic Heritage Month edition of the Brown Bag Jazz Hangs: John Calloway on The Flute in Latin Jazz (Oct 28).

This October, the Jazzschool also honors Filipino American History Month with a Filipino American History Month Salon & Performance: Chris Trinidad y Canción Tagalog (Oct 30).

Additional concerts this month include a performance by the Dahveed Behroozi Trio featuring NYC bassist Thomas Morgan and local drum hero Jason Lewis (Oct 2), a special Halloween show with genre-bending Bay Area supergroup Henry Hung’s Klaxon Mutant All-Stars (Oct 31), and the monthly performance by the Jazzschool’s composers big band-in-residence, the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, featuring Venezuelan pianist Edward Simon (Oct 11).

Free Programs and Community Events

Brown Bag Jazz Hangs — Wednesdays in October at 12:30pm

The Brown Bag Jazz Hangs series at lunchtime on Wednesdays invites Downtown Berkeley neighbors, colleagues, students, and employees for free casual presentations and listening sessions by local jazz luminaries. Patrons are invited to bring their own lunch or order ahead from the JazzCaffè across the street at 2040 Addison Street.

Oct 7: Katy Stephan on Chet Baker the Vocalist
Oct 14: Christopher Clarke on Lee Morgan
Oct 21: Shelley Doty on Glenn Horiuchi
Oct 28: John Calloway on The Flute in Latin Jazz

Jazz Movie Night: The Last Mambo (2023)

with introduction by director Rita Hargrave, in person

Sunday, Oct 4, 6pm

The Jazzschool presents free monthly screenings of jazz documentaries in the intimate Maxwell Lounge.

The Last Mambo (2023), directed by Bay Area filmmaker and musician Rita Hargrave, explores the past, present and future of the San Francisco Bay Area’s salsa and Latin jazz community. The film reveals how socio-economic and political marginalization has threatened the growth and survival of this vibrant music and dance community for decades.

The Last Mambo details the struggles of African-American and Latino musicians in the Bay Area since the 1930s, and explores the cultural cross-pollination that occurred throughout the 1950s when mambo was first introduced to mainstream American audiences. The film celebrates the passion and dedication of the Bay Area Latin music community in overcoming adversity to educate and inspire the next generation of musicians, dancers, and audiences.

Youth Jam Session

Sunday, Oct 4, 4–6pm

The Jazzschool hosts a monthly jam session designed for young musicians of all levels of experience. Each month, a fresh lineup of experienced students from the Young Musicians Program takes the stage as the Jazzschool house band, guided by a rotating cast of Jazzschool faculty bandleaders.

Vocal Open Mic

Sunday, Oct 25, 4–7pm

$20

Vocalist Angharad Jones hosts an open mic open to all, accompanied by a piano trio of experienced jazz musicians. Singers will get to sing one or two tunes with a group of instrumentalists for a supportive audience of fellow vocalists and friends.

October Concerts: ¡Sonidos Latinos!

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with ¡Sonidos Latinos! — programmed by Jazzschool instructor and veteran bandleader Edgardo Cambón and featuring leading lights of the Bay Area Latin jazz, salsa, and Afro-Caribbean music scenes.

¡Sonidos Latinos!: Edgardo Cambón & LaTiDo

Saturday, Oct 3, 8pm / doors 7:30pm

Tickets $25 General / $15 Youth

Charlie Gurke, saxophones
Marco Díaz, piano
Saúl Sierra, bass
Edgardo Cambón, percussion & vocals

A pillar of the Bay Area Latin music scene for four decades, Edgardo Cambón brings his stellar combo to the Jazzschool for a night of Latin jazz and salsa music, featuring his original compositions and arrangements of beloved classics.

Cambón is an Uruguayan-born percussionist, vocalist, composer, producer, and bandleader who has toured extensively across South America, Europe, Africa, and the United States. In his long and acclaimed career, Cambón has performed with Chucho Valdés, Eddie Palmieri, Carlos Santana, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, and many other Latin jazz luminaries. For 40 years, he has led the salsa band Edgardo & Candela as conguero and lead vocalist, releasing five albums of original music. His instructional percussion videos have reached thousands worldwide, and he is a respected educator who has presented workshops at universities throughout the Americas and Europe.

¡Sonidos Latinos!: Marco Díaz Quartet

Saturday, Oct 10, 8pm / doors 7:30pm

Tickets $25 General / $15 Youth

Marco Díaz, trumpet & piano
Steve Senft-Herrera, bass
Julio Pérez, percussion
Carlos Medrano, percussion

Dynamic Bay Area trumpet player, pianist, and composer Marco Díaz brings his quartet — in its Jazzschool debut! — for an evening of original music exploring a wide panorama of Afro-Caribbean sounds and grooves. Performing compositions from his first two albums, Life Notes and Insight, alongside new tunes from an upcoming release, Díaz weaves traditional Puerto Rican and Cuban styles into new music that features beautiful melodies, layered pulsating grooves, and infectious rhythm.

The quartet also performs Díaz’s original arrangements of jazz standards, so don’t be surprised to hear a danzón with a ragtime melody alongside a dance floor-ready medley of salsa classics!

Bay Area born and raised, Marco Díaz has been immersed in the region’s Latin jazz and salsa scenes since childhood, and has been a frequent collaborator with local legends Jesus Diaz and John Santos. He has also performed with Orestes Vilato, Edgardo Cambón, Carlos Caro, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Nelson Gonzales, Jimmy Bosch, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Ska Cubano, Tito Rojas, and Jovino Santos Neto, among others. A committed educator, Díaz has been on faculty at the Community Music Center in San Francisco, Jazz Camp West, the SFJAZZ teaching artist program, and the San Francisco Symphony AIM program.

¡Sonidos Latinos!: Christelle Durandy Quartet ¡LAS que escribieron!

Saturday Oct 17, 8pm / doors 7:30pm

Tickets $25 General / $15 Youth

Christelle Durandy, vocals
Tammy L. Hall, piano
Julio de la Cruz, acoustic bass
Shawn Myers, drums

“The timbre and temperament of Durandy’s voice has that rare quality of being able to transport the listener to an ethereal place.” – Jazz Improv Magazine

Afro-Caribbean vocalist and bandleader Christelle Durandy makes her Jazzschool debut with ¡LAS que escribieron! — “The Women Who Wrote!” — a program celebrating the unsung women songwriters and composers behind some of the most beloved Latin American traditional and popular songs. Durandy dives deep with each evocative arrangement, bringing a sophisticated modern jazz approach inspired by each composition’s lyrics, melody, and sense of groove.

Raised in France by a mother from Reunion Island and a father from Guadeloupe, Durandy’s multilayered music reflects her deep immersion in the music and culture of the African diaspora. Backed by her band Sanktet (a play on the French “cinq têtes,” or “five heads”), she draws upon her polyglot background to celebrate and expand the diaspora’s vibrant musical conversation, joyfully fusing Cuban rhumba, Guadeloupe’s gwo ka, folkloric music, and modern jazz.

¡Sonidos Latinos!: Jackeline Rago — Venezuela 360

Saturday, October 24, 8pm / doors 7:30pm

Tickets $25 General / $15 Youth

Jackeline Rago, cuatro, percussion & vocals
Anna Maria Violich, vocals
Carlos Caminos, guitar
Sascha Jacobson, bass

Venezuelan multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator Jackeline Rago brings her immersive program Venezuela 360 to the Jazzschool, inviting audiences to experience her native country’s unique cultural landscape through music. From the spirited rhythms of joropo and merengue to the soulful tonada llanera, the infectious energy of calypso, and the powerful traditions of Afro-Venezuelan drums, Rago’s dazzlingly virtuosic ensemble explores Venezuela through its intoxicating rhythms and vibrant cultural heritage.

Based in the Bay Area, Jackeline Rago is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator specializing in Venezuelan, Latin American, and Caribbean folk traditions. She has performed and led workshops nationally and internationally across the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Finland, Thailand, Venezuela, Brazil, St. Croix, Barbados, and Ghana. Both Rago’s vibrant career as a performer and her dedication to preserving and promoting Venezuelan, Latin American, and Caribbean music worldwide have made her a leader in the music community, as an artist continuing and extending these rich musical traditions.

More October Concerts

Dahveed Behroozi Trio ft. Thomas Morgan & Jason Lewis

Friday, Oct 2, 8pm / doors 7:30pm

Tickets $25 General / $15 Youth

Dahveed Behroozi, piano
Thomas Morgan, bass
Jason Lewis, drums

“He is a pianist who gets under your skin.” — Jazztimes

San Jose-based pianist and composer Dahveed Behroozi is among the most probing and singular musical voices in the Bay Area jazz scene. His expansive musical palette spans jazz, classical, and new music, alongside a wealth of musical inspirations including Bach, Brahms, Schoenberg, 20th century jazz luminaries, rock, and ambient music.

Behroozi’s newest recording September Substance is a lush collection of original compositions for piano trio, interpreted here by stellar NYC bassist Thomas Morgan (Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie, Tushawn Sorey) and local drum hero Jason Lewis. The music emphasizes sound, texture, and a balance between collective interaction and individual expression.

Electric Squeezebox Orchestra with special guest, Edward Simon, piano

Sunday, Oct 11, 5:30pm

Tickets $25 General / $15 Youth

The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra (ESO) is the Bay Area’s own 17-piece composer’s big band, led by trumpeter Erik Jekabson and playing music written and arranged by its members. The composers and arrangers, some of the very best in the Bay, draw from a wide range of influences and create music with groove, beauty, and subtlety. The ESO also features resident poet Avotcja in its performances, fusing spoken word with dynamic and provocative compositions.

The band’s monthly second-Sunday residency at the Jazzschool has featured many special guest artists, including John Santos, Kenny Washington, Alan Ferber, Dayna Stephens, Mads Tolling, Sandy Cressman, Kellye Gray, Spok, and Ben Goldberg. This month, Venezuelan pianist Edward Simon joins as special guest to perform some of his original compositions.

Filipino American History Month Salon & Performance

Chris Trinidad y Canción Tagalog

Friday, Oct 30, 7pm

Tickets $15

With:

Chris Trinidad, electric bass
Joshua Icban, guitars
Unpil Baek, piano
Jimmy Biala, drums & percussion
and special guests

Bay Area musician and educator Chris Trinidad, joined by ethnomusicologist Noah Rosen, hosts an informal presentation, salon, and performance to celebrate the intersecting timelines of Hispanic Heritage Month and Filipino American History Month. The evening explores real and imagined musical connections between the Philippines and Cuba, given the islands’ shared Spanish colonial history.

What if Cuban musicians from the early 20th century heard the kundiman, harana, and danzas that came from the Philippines of the late 19th century? What if Filipino musicians danced to the Cuban orquestas, charangas, and conjuntos?

Light refreshments including lumpia, pancit, and Calamansi juice will be served.

Halloween with Henry Hung’s Klaxon Mutant All-Stars

Saturday, Oct 31, 8pm

Tickets $25 General / $15 Youth

Henry Hung, trumpet and EFX
Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone and EFX
Colin Hogan, keyboards
Jonathon Herrera, bass
Eric Garland, drums

“[The Klaxons] represent the voracious appetite of the Bay Area jazz scene, where any and all sounds are fair game for sonic repurposing.” — East Bay Express

The music of the Klaxon Mutant All-Stars is the product of a new generation of eclectic jazz musicians living in a technology-obsessed, genre-twisting, multi-cultural world. The group brings together Grammy award-winning trumpeter Henry Hung (Stanley Clarke, Jimmy Cobb, Poncho Sanchez, Pacific Mambo Orchestra), saxophonist Kasey Knudsen (Charlie Hunter, Fred Frith), drummer Eric Garland (Will Bernard, Mads Tolling), keyboardist Colin Hogan (Peter Erskine, Too $hort, Mads Tolling), and bassist Jonathan Herrera (Stanley Jordan, Zigaboo Modeliste, Cathedrals), making their triumphant return to planet earth with a brand-new release, The Gr8tst Hits, Vol. 1.

The Gr8tst Hits, Vol. 1 takes an 80s cover album and flips it upside down and backwards, bringing nostalgic hits with experimental twists to the Jazzschool for a spellbinding Halloween treat.

About the Jazzschool

The Jazzschool, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in Berkeley in 1997 and provides music education and performance opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. Consisting of the Adult Music Program and the Young Musicians Program, the Jazzschool operates year-round on a quarterly basis, offering an array of courses, ensembles, performance opportunities, and workshops to build all aspects of musicianship. Students are frequently featured in concert performances, free to the public. With a formidable faculty of renowned musicians and educators, the Jazzschool is a cornerstone of the Bay Area’s thriving jazz community.

TICKETS

Tickets are available at jazzschool.org and at the door for concerts. Online advance registration is suggested but not required for free events.

INFORMATION

The Jazzschool is located at 2087 Addison St. in Downtown Berkeley. Street metered parking is available. Additional parking is available at the Center Street Parking Garage, located at 2025 Center Street, Berkeley. The Jazzschool’s facility is fully ADA-compliant and accessible to people with physical disabilities. Visit jazzschool.org or call 510-845-5373 for more information.