Augustine "Indio" Martinez
(Vocals)
Victor "Cafe" August
(Vocals)
Mark "Coco" Pagan
(Vocals)
Doug Beavers
(Trombone)
Mike Rinta
(Trombone)
Pete Cornell
(Bari Sax)
Tom Bertetta
(Trumpet)
Rolf Johnson
(Trumpet)
Christian Tumalan
(Piano)
Carlos Ramirez
(Bass)
Sean Zuniga
(Congas)
Eric Mendez
(Timbales)
Jose Guaman is the Director, Manager, and plays Bongos for Orquesta BaKan. Jose was born in Guayaquil Ecuador and moved to San Francisco at the age of 5. Jose started his musical career at the young age of 15 playing Congas for the Jose Alfredo Mojica Orquesta which was one of the top Salsa Bands in San Francisco.
The Mojica Orquesta were always booked to back up the big bands when they came to town. Jose was able to meet, talk, and learn from such great artist like Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ray Barretto, El Gran Combo, and Eddie Palmieri to name a few. The Mojica Orquesta signed a long-term contract to play in Washington DC but Jose’s father felt he was too young to leave home so Jose stayed behind and played with the local groups. Having been spoiled playing with a large Orquesta, Jose decided to leave the music world for over 25 years to pursue his career in the business world.
In 2000 Jose was celebrating his sister’s birthday at a restaurant/club, when a musician recognized Jose from his past salsa days and approached him. Jose was invited to come up and play with the group and from there he caught the Salsa fever once again. Not long after Jose decided he wanted to start his own Salsa Orquesta. It was a very difficult beginning because no one knew of Jose since he was out of the music scene for such a long time. Jose began to go to the clubs to speak with the club owners, promoters, salsa dancers, DJ’s, singers and musicians introducing himself and to get a feel of what everyone was looking for in the Salsa world.
From that point Jose reached out to the best musicians in the Bay Area and formed Orquesta BaKan in 2002. By the next few years Orquesta BaKan was playing at all the top local clubs. In June of 2005 BaKan was the first local Salsa Orquesta in the history of the San Francisco Symphony’s Black & White Ball to play on the main stage of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium opening for Patti LaBelle & Train. In 2006 BaKan went on tour backing up the great legend Ray De La Paz from Puerto Rico.
Jose is now working with his Orquesta on their much-anticipated first CD release entitled “Regresando A La Salsa”. In such a short time period Jose’s Orquesta BaKan is now one of the elite and most popular sought after Salsa Bands in the Bay Area and beyond. Jose will be the first to tell you, “You may leave salsa, but salsa will never leave you”, and he’s forever grateful to all of his family, friends, and faithful followers for being a part of the BaKan experience.
