ABOUT ZONGO ALL-STARS

Voted BEST LOCAL BAND in SLO County FOR 2 YEARS IN A ROW, Zongo All-Stars have been lighting up dance floors all over the Central Coast with our unique blend of Afro-Latin / Afro-Caribbean / Funk / Reggae / Calypso music that we like to call "CaliCubano".   The infectious sound has lots of percussion, horn section, a zany front man with Spanish vocals and unlimited surprises up his sleeve, and an all-star rhythm section!

The Zongo players have been making music together under different groups for over 20 years!  Most notably, 6 of the 7 players were in Mozaic, the very popular 90's Central Coast Afro-Funk band.  After the breakup of Mozaic, the horn section (Andrew Wise - sax/flute and Paul Irving - trumpet) developed over 50 of Andrew's original compositions. Bass player Dylan Johnson went on to study music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and then received his master's degree in jazz studies from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music.  Guitarist Jacob Odell also went to Berklee for his bachelor's degree in jazz studies.   Justin Perkins kept developing his percussion & steel drum skills playing with various groups.

A decade later, Dylan decided to come back to the Central Coast from New York.  Hearing the news, Paul and Andrew invited him to help launch the new group with along with Jacob and Justin.  Drummer Sean Sullivan was pulled in, as was John Lee, a multi-instrumentalist with a master's degree in Afro-Cuban Jazz Studies.  The group quickly put it all together and opened up the beautiful Back Bay Inn Garden concert venue for the Baywood Park Oktoberfest in 2007 for the first of many great shows to follow.   Sean went on to pursue other interests in 2009, and Jennings rejoined the group.  That's the story & we're sticking to it!

Zongo All-Stars is now a Central Coast staple in the live music & fun business, playing at select outdoor festivals, concert houses, corporate events, weddings, and other private parties.  Please join us for one of our upcoming events, and please contact us to explore working together to make your next event one to remember!

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The Players:

• Andrew Wise: Alto Saxophone, Wood & Bamboo Flutes / Vocals
• Paul Irving: Trumpet
• Dylan Johnson: Bass / Vocals
• Jacob Odell: Guitar
• Sean Sullivan: Drum Kit 
• Justin Perkins: Percussion / Steel Drums/Congas
• Tim Costa: Percussion/Congas