John Ulloa

In the music biz, a new album is called “product,” and the recently released Rum & Smoke LP (Puro Records) is exactly that: a product. But it’s more than a product in the commercial sense. Much more. It’s also a product of culture, history and passion.It’s also a damn fine collection of music.Behind all of this is John Ulloa.John Ulloa may not be a household name—yet—but there are certainly well-known names that appear on the album. Who they are isn’t important, as the album is not another of the “here’s me and a bunch of fancy guests to hype the album” trend that has become popular in contemporary music. Instead, Rum & Smoke is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a living document and a link between the past and the future—the future West Coast Latin Jazz, to be specific.And behind this is John Ulloa.With a musical career that spans more than 20 years, the San Francisco bandleader, percussionist, and educator has been carving his niche in the Bay area’s musical realm, earning well-deserved respect for both his musical talents and his intellectual contributions.With two Master’s degrees—one in Latin American History and another in Cultural Anthropology (with a visual emphasis), both earned from San Francisco State University—Ulloa is an educator, often peppering his traditional course lectures with explorations of the historical, social, and cultural relationships of Afro-Cuban music and religious traditions. Rum & Smoke continues that tradition, except instead of being heard in a lecture hall, it’s heard in speakers and headphones.Ulloa has parlayed his thirst for relating his knowledge and appreciation of history and culture with his creative passions, having studied with Afro-Cuban percussion masters such as Orestes Vilató and Michael Spiro in the United States and with Daniel Rodriguez in Cuba.From his remarkable knowledge base of the elements that have shaped his musical influences—especially in West Coast Latin Jazz and with seminal artists such as Mongo Santamaria, Armando Peraza, Cal Tjader, and Poncho Sanchez —Ulloa brings that very same consciousness to his own music. Rum & Smoke is his first attempt to present it in a recorded mode.Like any critical emerging talent, Ulloa did not arrive on the scene overnight. Born in Modesto, California, in 1973, John Christopher Ulloa’s musical career developed from what was basically a hobby, drumming for a variety of local bands—heavy metal bands, no less.And, like any critical talent, there were those subtle moments where an artist finds his or her true voice, true calling, true purpose. For Ulloa, those moments came via his academic pursuits. Ulloa was introduced to Latin Jazz while simultaneously enrolled in a Latin American History course at Modesto Junior College.Things have never been the same.The tug of wholly embracing this art form in all of its many modes pulled him all the way to Cuba—“pre-Buena Vista Social Club,” Ulloa notes—to further investigate the roots of Latin Jazz, and to examine first-hand what he read in textbooks.Like an archaeologist returning home with a bag of artifacts, Ulloa moved with his wife to San Francisco where he made the Latino-influenced Mission District his home and San Francisco State University his base for where he could dissect those artifacts and learn new bits of history and interpretation from elder scholars.AT SFSU, Ulloa turned the saying “Those that can’t do, teach” completely on its head. Instead of sitting in a classroom thinking about it, Ulloa was active outside of the lecture hall, doing it. And doing it smart.Along with his own performing, Ulloa earned a valuable education when he became a road manager for a 10-piece Latin band. Taking advantage of his booking chops from his days as a hard rocker in Modesto, Ulloa had no problem performing his duties for the band. His problem had to do simply with performing, or more specifically, not performing.Watching from the sidelines stung Ulloa. The need to be on stage rather than backstage “worrying about T-shirt” sales motivated him to quit his position. His gamble paid off, though. Within a week, he was gigging with the band.Things have never been the same.Musicians may sometimes be flaky, but another thing they are is perceptive. It didn’t take long to for them recognize Ulloa’s passion and professionalism. A consummate professional, Ulloa has demonstrated the kind of flexibility and open-mindedness that is essential to meet the demand of the very diverse Bay area music scene...as evidenced with his broad musical vocabulary that also includes Rock, Hip Hop, and R’n’B.Across the United States, Ulloa has earned performance and recording credits with many acclaimed artists, including WAR, members of Los Lobos, Ruben Estrada, Pete Escovedo, BUCHO, Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeño Band, The Mario Flores Band, Benny Velarde’s Supercombo, and Stymie and the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra.It is Ulloa’s relationship with Ruben Estrada that has perhaps been the most essential and beneficial to Ulloa’s education and career...and for that matter, Rum & Smoke. For years, Ulloa watched the legendary vibraphonist perform at Ruby’s in Santa Barbara, and through those concerts, he developed a long-time friendship with Estrada’s son, Cougar—himself a world-class drummer.The genesis and ultimate conclusion of Rum & Smoke came about through a number of conversations with the younger Estrada. What started out as intention eventually became invention. “We definitely wanted to record a CD that would be a West Coast Latin Jazz recording with an old school feel,” said Ulloa. “Dirty, with some mistakes; raw.”So what exactly is West Coast Latin Jazz—as compared to East Coast Latin Jazz—as one might ask? According to Wikipedia, West Coast jazz developed around Los Angeles at about the same time as hard bop jazz was developing in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. With a less frenetic and calmer style than hard bop.Aside from its generic attributes, Rum & Smoke is also a product of perseverance. Initially intended to be a three-song demo, two prevision sessions were aborted when Ulloa perceived that the musicians didn’t share the master vision. In 2006, Ulloa and Estrada (who produced Rum & Smoke) returned to the studio with a roster of trusted, respected musicians and some loose sketches.“Only a couple of the tunes were written and arranged prior to the session,” said Ulloa. ‘The guys only had reference CDs to work from; no charts. Almost all of the arranging was done on-the-fly in the studio.”With Ulloa on congas, bongos, guiro, and chekere and Cougar Estrada on the drums and at the controls, they were joined by Malcolm Ian Peters on bass, Edmund Velasco on alto, tenor, and baritones saxes and flutes, and Nate Birkey on trumpet. Two days later, the seven-track Rum & Smoke was complete, featuring an impressive spectrum of influences: Paz, Molendo Café and Angelique emerged from Ruben Estrada’s repertoire; Charles Mingus’ Moanin’ was modified to fit Ulloa’s vision; Freddie Hubbard’s Little Sunflower was given an update; and the Descarga Rum & Smoke jam collected all of the present vibes and ghosts from the sessions.The inspiration for the album and the music are only part of the album’s story. The name “Rum & Smoke” also has its own subtle hints of relevance, as well as a glimpse of Ulloa’s personal tastes. A self-proclaimed rum and cigar aficionado, Ulloa treats these items not just as consumable products, but also—like the album for which it is named—as cultural artifacts that are worthy of respect. Both rum and cigars have a history with deep roots in African/Cuban/Caribbean/Latin histories. The album’s label—Puro (slang for “cigar”) Records—also relates this tribute.For music fans, whether casual or critical, the album is ultimately meant to be enjoyed. Despite the relatively intellectual and academic motivations behind the album, there is still “if it sounds good, it is good” mentality behind its creation. “I wanted to make a record that I would want to listen to,” said Ulloa.It’s likely an album that you will want to listen to, too...perhaps with a generous snifter of quality rum and some smoke from a fine puro.