- country:Cuba
- region:Cuba-Puerto Rico
- style(s):Jazz
- label:Ayva Musica
- type:Composer/Songwriter
- gender:male
- instrumentation:instrumental
- artist posted by:Ayva Musica
Line up
- Francisco Mela (drums)
Links
Born in 1968 in Bayamo, Cuba, Francisco was pointed in the direction of music at an early age by his father, who was artistic director of cultural programs in this historic town nestled in the Sierra Maestra Mountain range. "When I was a little kid, we had a guitar in our home," he recalls, "and my dad tried to get me interested, but I never really got into it." Rather, he pursued an interest in painting and spent three years in the local Escuela de Artes Plasticas (School of Plastic Arts). Then, the 15-year old headed off to Havana to attend a festival, not realizing that he was missing the final exam and would be expelled from the institution. Unfazed, he switched gears and enrolled in the town's El Yarey music school, taking classes in classical and Afro-Cuban percussion. Francisco then changed roles, becoming an instructor at Bayamo's Rafael Cabrera Conservatory of Music. At the same time, he furthered his education, earning a degree in music and percussion from the Centro Nacional de Superacion de la Ensenanza Artistica (CENSEA, the National School of Arts for Teachers).
A trip to Havana brought the young drummer into contact with famed Cuban jazz pianist Emiliano Salvador and an opportunity to perform with his Nueva Vision quartet. "Going from Bayamo to Havana would be like going from Hartford to New York City," Francisco recalls. "You say, 'Wow, this is a great city I want to make it here'" While in Havana, he was also employed at Havana's famed national dance school, the training ground for some of the world's finest ballet artists, playing Afro-Cuban bata drums for dancers learning folkloric routines. In pianist Gabriel Hernandez's group, he performed at the Jazz Plaza festival, organized by none other than Jesus "Chucho" Valdes, Cuba's legendary jazz pianist, bandleader and composer.
His first opportunity to perform outside of Cuba came when Hernandez was booked for an appearance at the Cancun Jazz Festival. In 1997, Francisco returned to Mexico to perform in Cancun with his own group, the MelaSon Latin Jazz Band. Then, a chance encounter with Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Perez led him to a life-changing decision. "Danilo encouraged me to move to Boston," Francisco reminisces. "He said, 'Don't worry. if you come to Boston, you're going to end up playing with better people than me.'"
He initially planned to study at either Berklee College or The New England Conservatory of Music, but professional opportunities headed him in another direction. It wasn't long before Francisco was the house drummer of Wally's Cafe, one of Boston's hottest jazz clubs. While honing his own sound as a jazz drummer and broadening his leadership role as leader of a quintet, he also had an opportunity to back such world class talent as Perez, fellow Cuban Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and his longtime idol, drummer Roy Haynes.
"Elvin Jones was the first jazz drummer I heard, through recordings, while still in Cuba," Francisco remembers. "I loved the music, but at first, I didn't understand it. But when I discovered Roy Haynes, that was the one -- it all made sense, and he became my biggest influence."
Eventually, he started playing with music professors at Berklee. Then, one day, he received a call to teach at the prestigious institution. "But I still feel like a student," he says gleefully. He balances a hectic schedule of appearances with pianist Kenny Barron, saxophonists Lovano, David Sanchez and George Garzone, bassist John Patitucci, guitarist John Scofield and many other noted leaders and performances with his own group with teaching a class in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion and teaching private lessons to two dozen students.
Records
