Mojito's Band Biogs
The full Mojito 7 Piece Salsa Band line-up includes vocals, piano, bass, timbales/kit, congas and 2 brass. Personnel is as follows :
Damian Castillo Diaz - Vocals
Damian is a natural front-man from Havana. His performance exudes the natural style and confidence of a vocalist who practised his craft in the melting-pot that is Havana Cuba. His vocal style is raw and powerful - with mc'ing and rap skills that feed naturally into the salsa styles the band excel at. He is a trained dancer as well as a versatile singer and again this comes across in the bands live performances - his exuberance and sexy dance moves are infectious!!
Rich Sliwa - Timbales
Rich has been a professional percussionist/kit- player for 25 years.As a kit-player he has toured throughout the UK and Europe with C-Charge, now legendary Mancunian reggae crew. He then joined Inner Sense, the groundbreaking samba band and was off again playing exotic places such as Egypt,Oman,Yemen,Uzbekistan,Malaysia and Palestine. He was musical director of this band and produced their best-selling CD “Devotion”. One track from this album “Samba Bahiana” was released on the acid jazz label for London DJ/Conguero Snowboy who played the track out to fantastic response on the London latin/dance scene.
He has studied extensively in Cuba and Brazil. In Cuba he trained with major folkloric groups such as Clave y Guaguanco and Yoruba Andabo and has played in Havana with the cream of rumba musicians .He has also played at carnival in Brazil with maracatu group Leao Negro.
In the UK his skills have been in constant demand and he has worked with many latin bands such as Latimbala, Descarga, Charanga del Norte, Bourbon y Tequila and Salsa Pa’gozar. He has also worked as session percussionist and has recorded with The Doves and The Charlatans.
As well as playing for MOJITO he produces music under the name 2FO and has released tunes on Mettle Music, a well-respected Manchester-based latin/house label.
He is now focussing mainly on MOJITO as a live act and is starting to develop MOJITO-ELECTRO a latin remix project. Watch this space!!
Howard Jacobs - Vocalist - Tenor/Clarinet - All Percussion
Brass Arranger/Transcriber/All Percussion/Vocals/Clarinet/Tenor, Royal College and Royal Northern College of Music trained, Howard is also the brass arranger and Co-director of the La Timbala big band as well as Clarinet and Percussion there in. He has worked with contemporary music groups such as 'Chinook' Clarinet Quartet and The Cornelius Cardew Ensemble . His reputation has earned him resident percussionist with experimental group Homelife, RSL, Graham Massey's Toolshed amongst others. Howard has also studied extensively in Cuba.
Christian Weaver - Conga
Christian Weaver (percussion, vocals, director of La Timbala) has over twenty years experience of performing, teaching, researching, composing and directing percussion based music. He has performed solo with leading contemporary dancers and theatre companies over much of the world; designed workshops and educational projects for community groups, schools, universities and colleges; directed and composed for groups of from three to thirty people. He has trained extensively with master drummers in Cuba and now performs with one of the leading carnival groups 'Los Componedores de Batea' and the traditional Afrocuban group 'Iré Otonoguá'. As the Musical Director of La Timbala which, he founded in 1995, he is responsible for devising and overseeing all of La Timbala's performance and workshop projects. Website : www.latimbala.com
Andy Boothman - Electric Upright Bass
Since late eighties Andy has played as session percussionist with many Manchester artists. Working internationally live as well as recordings for T.V., radio and commercial release. In 1998 Andy made the first of frequent visits to Cuba to study and play Afro-Cuban percussion and began to specialise in Afro-Cuban music. Andy began playing bass guitar in a few line-ups playing Cuban and African music around Manchester.
Then in 2003 arranged study courses in Havana for UK musicians. Andy facilitated the study whilst learning the bass parts and began to play more Popular Cuban Music. In 2005 Andy played acoustic upright for the first time out of necessity at an acoustic event and found an immediate connection. He has been concentrating on double bass ever since and has returned to Havana to study and perform on acoustic upright and continues to perform Cuban and Jazz on double bass and to compose, produce and teach using piano, percussion guitar and voice.
Jonny Enright - Trombone
Jonny Enright quote from some years ago: Mainly London-based, Grupo X's line-up has a combined wealth of experience in many styles, having toured and recorded with artists including: Orlando Watusi, Tito Allen, Adalberto Santiago, Alfredo De La Fe, Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers, Snowboy, Lo Fidelity Allstars, Bjork, Tanita Tikarem, The Braxtons, Kirsty MacColl, Babyface, Dina Carroll, David Gray, Billy Bragg, Fairground Attraction, Talk Talk, Julian Lennon, Bootsy Collins, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Jhelisa Anderson, Ornette Coleman.
