Somewhat of an underground legend, Cañoneo is a six-piece instrumental group that was headed up by keyboardist/composer Paul Potyen and percussionist Michael Spiro. The group played a high energy blend of jazz, heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music. According to Jazziz Magazine, “Where most fusion groups use Latin music as only one of several stylistic references, Canoneo approaches the music from within, resulting in an organic development of a variety of Caribbean and Brazilian themes and an unmistakable originality.” (Click here to read the complete review. (Warning: this pdf file is 0.6 MB)

The band released two vinyl l.p's in the '80s, and most of those tracks, which were mastered digitally at the time of mixing, are now available on “Best of Cañoneo.”

Paul Potyen (http:/www.paulpotyen.com) has composed, arranged, performed and produced music for countless CDs, radio and TV commercials, films and production music libraries, including three CDs by jazz singer Madeline Eastman, who was nominated "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition" in the 1995 Downbeat Jazz Critic's Poll. As a keyboard player, his credits include Chet Baker, Tony Williams, Mark Murphy, the Headhunters, Bobby McFerrin, Jimmy Witherspoon, Tom Harrell, Terry Bozzio, Pat O'Hearn, Mark Isham, Mel Torme, Henry Mancini, Ray Drummond, Mike Formanek, Bruce Forman, Benny Velarde, Pete Escovedo, John Santos, Andy Narrell, Eddie Marshall, Donald Bailey, Vince Lateano, Chris Connor, Dave Pike, Charles McPherson, Eddie Henderson, and he is the featured pianist on Soul Sauce's recent CD, "Got Sauce?" He has also played keyboards with The San Francisco Symphony, as well as for many musical theater productions in San Francisco. During the '80's he co-led the San Francisco Forty Niners Jazz Band, which played at Candlestick Park and other Bay Area venues. Paul has also been active in jazz education. He has served on the faculty at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, CA, and is currently a faculty member at Colorado Mountain College, Alpine Campus, where he teaches "Music Appreciation," “History of Jazz,” and "Jazz Ensemble."

Michael Spiro is an internationally recognized percussionist (http://www.michaelspiro.com), recording artist, and educator, known specifically for his work in the Latin music field. He has performed on thousands of records, co-produced and played on several instructional videos for Warner Bros. Publications (including Talking Drums, Changuito, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Ignacio Berroa), and produced seminal recordings in the Latin music genre, including Orquesta Batachanga, Grupo Bata-Ketu, Mark Levine and the Latin Tinge, and Grupo Ilu-Aña.

Drummer/percussionist Ed Smith currently produces, composes and records music in LA. Composing credits include: an Emmy winning commercial for ESPN featuring Robert Goulet; Entertainment Tonight; Access Hollywood; South Beach; ElimiDate; Biography; Intimate Portrait; CDs for Lifescapes Music and the song "Tassajara" on Pete Escovedo's grammy nominated recording Mr. E. As a studio drummer and percussionist he can be heard on over 100 recordings that include such artists as Dionne Warwick, Gerald Albright, Steve Tyrell, Ralph Carmichael, Grant Geissman, Keiko Matsui, Carl Anderson, Rick Braun, and Rita Coolidge. Ed received his BA in Music Performance and
Composition from San Jose State University in 1981.

Guitar wizard Jeff Buenz has enjoyed a rich, varied career performing his five-string magic in bands as varied as the Stanley Turrentine Quartet and the Doobie Brothers. Essentially self-taught, Buenz's searing virtuosity is distinguished by a highly individualized approach. As active on the Brazilian music scene as he is in jazz, Buenz has performed with internationally-renowned Brazilian artists Flora Purim & Airto and Toninho Horta, and for eight years has played electric bass and guitar in the popular Brazilian dance band Viva Brazil. He has performed and/or recorded with Columbian singer/songwriter Claudia Gomez, jazz saxophonist Harvey Wainapel, and jazz vocalist Madeline Eastman, among many others. For the past three years Buenz has co-led (together with saxophonist Mel Ellison) the adventurous quartet Left Turn No Signal, a highly improvised amalgamation featuring the original compositions of its co-leaders.

Charlie McCarthy is a saxophonist and flutist who has played and recorded with many of the greats in jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Henderson, Sarah Vaughan, Bobby Hutcherson, George Shearing, Madeline Eastman, Radcliffe (the Cal Tjader Alumni Band), Frank Sinatra, Nancy Wilson, Bruce Forman and Lena Horne. He recently recorded a PBS special as part of a jazz quintet with Rosemary Clooney, performed Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige Suite with the Louie Bellson Orchestra, played in the Norman Simmoms Quartet backing Joe Williams, and performed with Joe Lovano as part of his new Octet. Charlie has been teaching woodwinds at CCSF for 20 years and has just completed his won Jazz C.D. project, Sno-Bro.

Currently a member of John Santos' Machete Ensemble, Wayne Wallace's Rhythm & Rhyme, Grupo Sol y Luna, Pastiche, Joyce Cooling and The Jay Wagner Band among others, bassist David Belove is one of the most sought after bass players in the Bay Area. His command of Latin bass language brought him to perform and record with Orquestra Candela, Conjunto Cespedes, Claudia Gomez, Orquestra Batachanga, The Machete Ensemble, Ray Obiedo, Cañoneo, Grupo Sol y Luna, Francisco Aquabella, Pete Escovedo, Ignacio Berroa, Armando Perazza, Tito Puente and Viva Brasil, among others. His jazz credits are equally impressive, having collaborated with master drummer Max Roach, the late Dizzie Gillespie, pianist Mark Levine, saxophonist Joe Henderson and Pat Metheny.
"Best of Cañoneo" now available on iTunes!
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Canoneo – Guacamole Records GR 2001
$17.00 album or cassette (including shipping and handling)

Kenya *
Canoneo*
Flutterbye
Rua Augusta
Sideways Cha-cha
Descargot
El Lobito
Batida



Desparately Seeking Fusion – Passport Jazz PJ 88016
$17.00 album only (including shipping and handling)


Long Story Short*
Culebra
Night Journey
The Big Avocado
Brazilian Bedouin
Barra Do Santo Antonio
Paulistana
Serengeti



PLEASE NOTE: THIS RELEASE IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN VINYL



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