John Calloway
John Calloway began performing Afro-Cuban and Caribbean music as a teenager in San Francisco’s Mission district. Originally a percussionist and drum set player, he quickly branched out into woodwinds, trombone and piano, eventually focusing on the flute. He resided in New York during the 1980s, where he worked as a flautist with the likes of Manny Oquendo’s Libre, Oscar Hernandez, and Jerry and Andy Gonzalez.
John has performed around the world, and his credits as a performer/arranger include work with Israel “Cachao” lopez, Omar Sosa,
Pete Escovedo, Max Roach, Chocolate Armenteros, Carlos “Patato” Valdez, Jesus Diaz, Rebeca Mauleon and Quinteto Las Americas. He is also a founding member of the Machete Ensemble led by John Santos, having written and arranged much of their material. In addition, John often performs with the Latin group Quijerama, led by Quique Cruz.
His recording credits as a performer and composer include his debut CD “Diaspora”, released in 2001, and collaborations with Jesus Diaz and QBA, Pete Escovedo, Anthony Blea y su Charanga, Rebeca Mauleon, and numerous recordings with both John Santos and Omar Sosa. Several of these recordings were nominated for Grammies, including “SF Bay” (2003) with the Machete Ensemble, and Ritmo y Candela (1996) and Ritmo y Candela II (1998), which featured Cuban percussionists Changuito, Patato, Orestes Vilato and Walfredo de Los Reyes.
John teaches Afro-Cuban and Latin American music courses at San Francisco State University and the Jazz School in Berkeley. He frequently travels to Cuba as program coordinator for PlazaCuba, an arts company that offers courses in conjunction with the National School of the Arts in Havana, Cuba. He has also participated in prominent clinics and workshops, including the Stanford Jazz Workshop, JazzCamp West, and the Gallery 37 project located in Chicago. John holds a B.A. in music from City College of New York and an M.A. in Music Education from San Francisco State University. He is currently working on his doctorate in international and multi-cultural education at the University of San Francisco.
