José Rizo (born April 27, 1956) is a
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
, born in Guadalajara, Mexico and grew up in Oxnard, California. He is a band leader, composer, music producer and host of ''Jazz on the Latin Side'' on radio station
KKJZ
KKJZ (88.1 MHz FM, "KJazz 88.1") is a non-commercial public radio station in Southern California. The station is the #1 full-time jazz and blues station in the United States
The California State University, Long Beach Research Foundation own ...
. Rizo is a pioneer in programming Latin jazz on jazz radio. In 2011, his band Mongorama was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album, for their self-titled album.
History in radio
While a student at
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...
, UCSB, Rizo began interviewing people on the air at
KCSB-FM. In the late 1970s, he was a founder of Radio Chicano, a community and student broadcasting organization based at Cal State Santa Barbara. Rizo started on Santa Barbara commercial radio station KIST AM, doing a public affairs show called ''La Voz De La Raza'' that aired Sunday mornings from 1975 to 1976. He served as program director for two years. Rizo hosted a radio show called ''Barrio Salsoul'' from 1976 to 1982, on the UC Santa Barbara campus radio station, KCSB, and was the program director at KCSB in 1978.
At UCSB in the late 1970s he produced the yearly
Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo (; ) is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, ho ...
concerts in the Storke Plaza, where he began working with such artists as
Poncho Sanchez,
Los Lobos
Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional ...
, Tierra and Pete & Sheila Escovedo.
While a student at University of California, Santa Barbara, UCSB, Rizo began spinning music and interviewing people on Santa Barbara top-40 commercial radio station KIST AM, producing a public affairs show called ''La Voz De La Raza'' that aired Sunday mornings in 1975 to 1976. From 1976 to 1982, Rizo worked at the UCSB student radio station, KCSB FM, broadcasting the weekly radio show ''Barrio Salsoul'', and serving as the radio station program director in 1978. Some of his earliest radio interviews included
Cal Tjader
Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin music (genre), Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group mod ...
,
Los Lobos
Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional ...
,
Gato Barbieri
Leandro "Gato" Barbieri (November 28, 1932 – April 2, 2016) was an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and is known for his Latin jazz recordings of the 1970s. His nickname, Gato, is Spa ...
, and
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
. Rizo was the founder of Radio Chicano, a community and student broadcasting organization based at KCSB (UC Santa Barbara) that produced daily Chicano/Latino programming.
Rizo was influenced early in his career by Chico Sesma, a pioneer Latin music disc jockey and bandleader, who became a friend and mentor. Sesma was the first to bring the mambo and cha cha cha to radio audiences in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s. Another significant influence on Rizo's career was
Chuck Niles, the only jazz disc jockey honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Dedicated to bringing a more authentic approach to Latin jazz to radio, in 1990, Rizo approached public radio station KLON 88.1 about producing a regular program. After an audition, and a recommendation from Poncho Sanchez, the station invited him onto the airwaves, and his show ''Jazz on the Latin Side'' became a success, debuting on Sunday night, January 7, 1990. About a year later the show switched to Friday nights. Rizo served as program director for the station from 2007 until 2010.
The success of the radio show ''Jazz on the Latin Side'' led to a series of successful yearly productions like the KLON Latin-jazz Club Caravans and'KLON Cinco de Mayo Latin-jazz Dance Concerts. Rizo was also the founder of the KJazz High School Jazz Festival.
Besides the best in Latin jazz, Rizo had frequent live interviews with guests like
Cachao
Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao ( ), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo (music), mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised ...
,
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...
,
Horace Silver
Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s.
After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...
,
Mongo Santamaria, actor
Andy Garcia,
Eddie Palmieri
Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Corsican and Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive.
...
, Poncho Sanchez,
Gerald Wilson
Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. He arranged music for D ...
,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...
,
Hubert Laws
Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist, piccoloist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 50 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop ...
,
Al McKibbon,
Willie Colon, and
Marc Anthony
Marco Antonio Muñiz (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer and actor. He is the top selling salsa artist of all time. A four-time Grammy Award, eight-time Latin Grammy Award and twenty-nine-tim ...
.
In the mid-1990s he was invited to participate in
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
committees and later,
Latin Grammy Award
The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...
committees.
Rizo has been an integral part of the yearly Central Avenue Jazz Festival since its inception in July 1996. Through the years he has served as artistic director alongside such jazz luminaries as
Buddy Collette and
Teddy Edwards
Theodore Marcus "Teddy" Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Biography
Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone ...
. He has worked with Los Angeles jazz greats such as
Gerald Wilson
Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. He arranged music for D ...
and
Ernie Andrews
Ernest Mitchell Andrews Jr. (December 25, 1927 – February 21, 2022) was an American jazz, blues, and pop singer.
Life and career
Andrews was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Los Angeles, and is said to have been discovered b ...
. Rizo received the Jazz Journalists Association's 'A' Team Award for support of the Central Avenue Jazz Festival in 2007.
Rizo was co-founder and artistic director of the Luckman Fine Arts Latin Jazz Concert series (2000–2005), where he produced yearly Latin jazz concert events with such as
Eddie Palmieri
Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Corsican and Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive.
...
,
Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, Poncho Sanchez,
Dianne Reeves,
Ozomatli, Tolu, Los Lobos, and
Francisco Aguabella.
In 2004, Rizo and his wife Leticia started Saungu Records.
Rizo is the artistic producer of the L. A. Councilman Gilbert Cedillo's Latin Jazz and Music Festival, held for two days every August in Highland Park in the Los Angeles Area. He has also been a part of the yearly East L. A. Meets Napa wine tasting event produced by AltaMed at the Union Station in Los Angeles, since 2005.
By 2007, KLON's call letters had changed to KKJZ. Rizo became the station music director from 2007 to 2010. During this period, ''Jazz on the Latin Side'' aired on weekdays, Monday to Friday, Los Angeles drive-time, 5 to 7 pm. In 2010, the show went to Friday and Saturday nights until the start of 2015. Currently the show airs on Saturday nights, 6 to 10 pm.
Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars
Jose Rizo is founder of Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars, a 16-piece all-star ensemble made up of world-class studio musicians and jazz artists and popular bandleaders. The all-star band was formed a few months after a big jam session in January 2002 at B.B. King's on the Universal City Walk, a celebration of ten years of ''Jazz on the Latin Side'' on KLON.
Through the years, members of the group have included Alex Acuna, Francisco Aguabella, Poncho Sanchez, Al Mckibbon, Donald Vega, Oscar Hernandez, Joe Rotondi, Freddie Crespo and
Adonis Puentes
Adonis Puentes (born 1974) is a Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter who sings in Spanish and English. .
Current members are
Justo Almario (tenor sax), Danilo Lozano (flute/music director), Marvin 'Smitty' Smith (drums), Francisco Torres (trombone), Rene Camacho (bass), Joey De Leon (congas), Alfredo Ortiz (bongo/guiro/vocals), Jimmy Branly (timbales), Kamasi Washington (alto sax), Scott Martin (baritone sax), Eric Jorgensen (trombone), Bijon Watson (trumpet), Gilbert Castellanos (trumpet), Andy Langham (piano), Jose Rizo (vocals) and James Zavaleta (lead vocals)
Discography
* ''Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars, Vol. 1'' (Cubop Records, 2000)
* ''Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars, Vol. 2'' (Cubop Records, 2001)
* ''The Last Bullfighter''
* ''Tambolero''
Mongorama

Rizo is the founder of the Afro-Cuban jazz band Mongorama. Its formation was inspired by an appreciation of jazz conguero
Mongo Santamaria's 1960s musical exploration integrating Cuban charanga rhythms with jazz. The current Mongorama members are
Justo Almario,
Danilo Lozano,
Ramon Banda,
Dayren Santamaria,
Rene Camacho,
Joey De Leon
Jose Maria Ramos de Leon Jr. (born October 14, 1946), professionally known as Joey de Leon and also known as Henyo Master, is a Filipino comedian, actor, television host and songwriter. He is one of the members of the comedy trio, collectively ...
,
Alfredo Ortiz,
James Zavaleta,
Joe Rotondi and
Jose Rizo. The first two Mongorama CDs also featured Destani Wolf,
Adonis Puentes
Adonis Puentes (born 1974) is a Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter who sings in Spanish and English. ,
Poncho Sanchez,
Hubert Laws
Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist, piccoloist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 50 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop ...
and
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...
.
In 2011, their debut self-titled album ''Mongorama'' was nominated for a Grammy in the category of
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album.
Discography:
* ''Mongorama''
* ''Baila Que Baila''
Professional affiliations
Rizo has been involved with the
Central Avenue Jazz Festival since its inception. He has served as the artistic director, sharing those duties with Buddy Collette and Teddy Edwards. The festival focuses on showcasing Los Angeles-based jazz artists. In 2015 he was to serve as the master of ceremonies.
Rizo serves on review committees
for the
Latin Grammy Award
The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...
.
Rizo served as the artistic director for the Luckman Fine Arts Latin Jazz concert series.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rizo, Jose
Living people
American radio DJs
Radio personalities from Los Angeles
1956 births
American jazz bandleaders
Timbaleros
Musicians from Guadalajara, Jalisco