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Alberto Salas
Musical Director

GRAMMY award winning Alberto Salas brings his unique flair as a producer / arranger / keyboardist and percussionist to any Afro-Cuban rhythm or mainstream pop tune of which he may be part. Applying his extensive knowledge of Cuban techniques, he can simplify or intensify intricate "world beat" rhythms to fit into today's sounds of Pop, Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, Jazz, or any combination thereof. 

Born in Los Angeles, Salas began playing piano at the age of six and percussion in 1994. Completely self-taught, Alberto has found himself sharing the stage and touring with such legendary artists as Santana, Mana, Los Lobos, Bebe Winans, Poncho Sanchez, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Raul Malo, Rick Treviño, Los Super Seven, Andrae Crouch, the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Heather Headley, Christina Aguilera, the City of Angels Orchestra, Vikki Carr, Andy Garcia and the Cineson All-Stars, Dariush, Luis Conte, among others. 

Alberto has recorded on Carlos Santana's multi-GRAMMY winning album Supernatural, and laid down the groove for that album's GRAMMY winning Song and Record of the Year, “Corazon Espinado.” He also served as producer/arranger/keyboardist for Angelique Kidjo's GRAMMY nominated album Oyaya! In the company of Jackson Browne and Joan Baez, Salas' work can be heard on Tribute to Pete Seeger. Other notable recordings include Alex Acuna's Acuarela de Tambores (GRAMMY nominee), Ozomatli's Embrace the Chaos (GRAMMY winner), Los Super Seven's Canto (GRAMMY nominee), Andrae Crouch's Mercy (GRAMMY winner, on which Salas was also music director), Pray (GRAMMY nominee), and The Gift of Christmas (GRAMMY nominee). Salas has further lent his talents to albums by Los Lobos, Mel C. (a.k.a. Sporty Spice), Helen Baylor, Kurt Carr, Raul Malo, Rick Treviño, and Judith McAllister. Staying close to his Los Angeles roots, he also joins some of LA's top musicians in CUBA L.A., Andy Garcia's CineSon All-Stars as well as the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, both in the studio and onstage.

Salas' television and film credits include playing with Santana and Mana on the Latin GRAMMY Awards and “The Tonight Show,” and with Los Super Seven on “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night with Conan O'Brien.” He's appeared on the big screen in the film “Dance With Me” with Chayanne and Vanessa Williams, and is also featured as a musician in Jon Favreau's 2014 Summer comedy "Chef" (starring Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara and John Leguizamo). 

This year Salas formed Salas Sound Productions in order to begin producing concert, album, and video projects of a personal nature. “Live from the City of Angels: The Gospel According to Latin America” will be SSP's maiden voyage come Summer of 2017. Featuring talent from all aspects of Latin culture, this LIVE CD/DVD is the first performance of The City of Angels Orchestra. This LIVE concert kicked off festivities for Latin Heritage Month at the California Watercourt Plaza in downtown L.A. Alberto is currently working on two instructional books....one for Cuban Piano and another for Cuban percussion; both to be released in the first quarter of 2017. When not on tour, Salas teaches both piano and percussion at the internationally acclaimed Musicians Institute in Hollywood and his startup school “The Institute of Popular Cuban Music Studies.”

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