La Mezcla profile picture

La Mezcla

...Para los salseros

About Me


La Mezcla is a 10-piece Latin band comprised of young individuals breaking into the Toronto music scene. The group brings a fresh, energetic twist to salsa music.
La Mezcla, meaning “the mix,” is named for its diversity. The members of our group come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and musical experiences, contributing to the dynamism and versatility of the ensemble.
Inspired by the music of Hilario Duran and Luis Mario Ochoa, all of La Mezcla’s members strive to make solo-ing an integral part of their music. The resulting sound is an authentic mix of jazz, advanced technical facility, and creative improvisation with a Latin flavour which is reminiscent of 1960/70’s New York.
Drawing from the influences of Willie Rosario, El Gran Combo, and Tito Puente among others, La Mezcla’s co-leaders Marco de la Cruz and Allison Au arrange vintage salsa classics to fit the instrumentation of four horns, a rhythm section and two vocalists. With a wide orchestrative template, this relatively small ensemble produces an incredible big band sound.
La Mezcla gears its music toward dancers and anyone else who just wants to move to the music. We are interested in bringing the energy, diversity and unique character of La Mezcla to any public and private function, dance socials, and other community events.
For bookings, contact Allison Au OR Marco de La Cruz at [email protected].

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/7/2007
Band Members: THE PLAYERS:
LA MEZCLA IS:
Marco de la Cruz: Pianist/arranger/teacher, Marco plays with several groups around the city. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a B.A. in Honors History and from U of T with a Bachelor of Education.
Currently he is working on the completion of a music degree with Humber College. Mark has studied under Ruben Vasquez, Hilario Duran, Luis Mario Ochoa and at the moment, David Virelles.
Devin Hornby: Electric bassist Devin Hornby has by the age of 23 already led a varied and musical life that has seen him gigging in Toronto's diverse music scene and heavily on Canada's east coast.Bruce McCarthy: Bruce McCarthy is quickly gaining a reputation around town for being a musical and groove orientated drummer who can play all styles with conviction, and always puts the music first. In addition to his private teaching, he keeps a very busy schedule of playing and recording with various projects that cover the gamut from latin to funk, and from jazz to rock n' roll.
Christopher Butcher: Chris is a young trombone player that has studied jazz at Humber College and the University of Manitoba. An alumni of many of Winnipeg's finest ensembles, Chris feels lucky to be playing and studying with some of Canada's best musicians.
Mike Wark: Saxophonist/doubler Mike Wark is a recent graduate of the Humber College music program. With his huge sound, exciting solos, and diverse musical background, Mike brings an intensity and a musical sensitivity to every style of music he plays. While at Humber, he has received awards for performing, arranging, and teaching, and worked with artists such as Hilario Duran, Jane Bunnett, Dave Liebman, Steve Gadd, and Randy Brecker.
Mike keeps busy with teaching, composing, recording, and playing with "The Funktion," "La Mezcla," "Max Senitt y sus Amigos," as well as other small and large jazz ensembles.
Veronica Meza: Born in El Salvador but raised in Toronto, Veronica Meza began her musical career at the age of 12, performing and touring all over Ontario with her band, Kaliente.
Veronica has since collaborated with numerous well known acts including Alex Bello (featured on his hit song Perdoname), as well as La Union's hit "Como". Moreover, Veronica has worked with many well-known Canadian musicians such as Juno Award Winner Nancy Walker, Lorraine Lawson (vocal coach from hit TV show Popstars), Dave Stillwell, Shannon Gunn and Christine Duncan to name a few.
Max Senitt: Drummer/percussionist Max Senitt is a professional musician that is proficient and knowledgeable in many genres of music, however, his interests have taken a definite focus in “Latin” music over the past years. He has studied with the likes of Jorge “Papiosco” Torres, Enrique Pla, Jose Manuel Sanchez, Mark Kelso, Rick Lazar and has travelled to Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, New York City, and Cuba.
Max is the leader of his own group “ Max Senitt y Sus Amigos” and a member of the award winning Latin alternative band Plan C. He can also be found performing regularly with a variety of artists, including two-time Juno award-winning Hilario Duran.
Allison Au: Saxophonist/doubler/arranger Allison Au is currently enrolled in the music program at Humber College. In conjunction with her enthusiasam towards latin music and co-leading La Mezcla, Allison can also be seen performing with local Toronto bands such as "The Thing Is" and the "Lansdowne Sax Quartet."
Klaus Anselm: Originally from Germany, Klaus is becoming an established trumpet player in the Toronto scene. He is proving to be a versatile musician, playing authentic music from Germany, Poland, Mexico as well as music in the Jazz, Latin, and Classical idiom. Currently, he is finishing his B.Mus and has studied with Chase Sanborn, Bobby Shew, Al Kay, Brian O'Kane, and Steve Crow to name a few.
Francois Mulder: Francois Mulder was born in South West Africa and was raised in the culturally vibrant South Africa. He is currently finishing his final year in Humber College and Thompson Rivers University’s collaborative Bachelors Degree in Vocal Jazz Performance. He regularly performs with La Mezcla and the up-and-coming gospel group, heavenSound. Francois has also worked with artists such as Universal Music’s RyanDan and Hip-Hop artists Genuwine and Belly at Canada’s Much Music Video Awards (MMVA). Other groups that Francois has worked with are Denny Christianson’s Humber Studio Jazz Ensemble, Rick Lazar’s Latin Jazz Combo and Trish Colter’s Huber Vocal Jazz Combo. Francois has studied and worked with Shannon Gunn, Trish Colter, Mark Lalama (MD of Canadian Idol), Roedolf de Beer and Awie van Wyk.
Influences: Willie Rosario, Tito Puente, El Gran Combo, The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Luis Mario Ochoa and Cimarron, Eddie Palmieri
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None