Pablo Sanhueza

Pablo Sanhueza is a Chilean born and raised Latin percussionist and bandleader. Since his arrival to Kansas City in 1996, he has distinguished himself as one of the foremost exponents of Latin American and Caribbean music across the Midwest. Since 2003, Pablo has led Salsa & Latin Jazz ensembles as well as freelancing for various performing arts projects. The year 2018 marks the Fifteenth Anniversary of Pablo Sanhueza & KC Latin Jazz All-Stars. Additionally, Pablo directs Calle Vida, the “Street Life Band” side of the KC Latin Jazz All-Stars. Calle Vida’s aim is to have presence in the public space to generate improvisation in music and dance on site. This community interaction is experienced often when audience members join the professional musicians as guests during a performance.

Although primarily self-taught, Pablo has immersed himself under the guidance of jazz saxophonist and composer Bobby Watson, with whom he toured Europe in 2006, appearing at Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Red Sea Jazz Festival in Holland and Champs Elysees in Paris, France. Pablo also has studied with Afro-Cuban legends Jesus Alfonso, Sandy Perez, (Muñequitos de matanzas) & Felipe Villamil (Master artist at National Endowment for the Arts, Congolese masters Titos Sompa & Mabiba Boegne, Brazilian mestre Carlos Barrao (Axe Capoeira), Senegalese drummer choreographer Fara Tolno and Zimbabwean choreographer, percussionist Rujeko Masango (Tony award winning first dancer and director of Broadway’s Fela Kuti the musical).

In recent years Pablo has found himself performing alongside some of the Latin Jazz legends and African drumming masters who had inspired him in his early years. Poncho Sanchez, Titos Sompa, Dave Valentin and Bobby Watson are among the international artists Pablo has had the honor to play with.

Pablo sees himself as a village musician whose presence and impact in the community is experienced through live performance and perpetuated through relationship building with the youth and local institutions.