Respect. Admiration. In the highly demanding field of music, they're awarded to only a choice few... to outstanding creative forces like Ramon and Tony Banda.
    Brothers from a musical family, they are best known to audiences the world over for the 24 years of solid, uncompromising work they spent as the anchors and backbone of one of the worlds most celebrated music ensembles, the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band... Tony on bass, Ramon on drums & timbales.
    Ramon & Tony  were born in 1954 & 1955 respectively and raised in Norwalk, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. There was much music in the family home and surrounding neighborhood. They began their musical journey in 1959 under the direction of their uncle, saxophonist Mike Chavarria. By 1961 the brothers were performing on a regular basis all across Southern California, thus receiving invaluable  "on the bandstand" experience at a unusually young age. It was during these formative years that the brother's love and appreciation for a wide variety of music styles developed, especially Jazz / Latin / Rhythm & Blues.
    The Banda Brothers have participated in countless world tours, music festivals and recording sessions with a long list of world renown artists including;

 Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Celia Cruz, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Herman, Carmen McRae, Joe Pesci, Mongo Santamaria, Chick Correa, Dianne Reeves, Joey DeFrancesco, Al McKibbon, Stanley Turrentine, Francisco Aguabella, Jazz Crusaders, Eddie Harris, War, Terence Blanchard, Jazz on the Latin Side Allstars, Ron Eschete, Stanley Clark, Joe Strummer, Giovanni Hidalgo, Arturo Sandoval and the list goes on.
    Playing with an energy and conviction that is soulful, relaxed and intensely swinging, Tony & Ramon sign all of their art that way, but never more so than when they now head up their own ensemble, "The Banda Brothers". Formed in 1996 with a powerful emphasis on straight-ahead Jazz, as well as drawing from the rich Afro-Caribbean traditions.
    They have assembled some of the most talented, young musicians working today, including Javier Vergara -Tenor sax, Chris Barron - Piano, Francisco Torres - Trombone, Joey De Leon - Percussion. The group has a unique talent for bringing insight and imagination to original material as well as covered classics, providing the perfect balance of accessibility and invention.

Ramon Banda - Drums and Timbales

Tony Banda - Bass

Chris Barron - Piano

Francisco Torres - Trombone

Javier Vergara - Tenor Sax and Flute

Musicians who have contributed their artistic talents to the group.

Francisco Aguabella - Percussion

Francisco Aguabella, a leading exponent of African-derived Cuban drumming in the United States, has recorded and/or performed with such leading international musical artists as Tito Puente, Cachao, Eddie Palmieri, Dizzie Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Lionel Hampton, Celia Cruz, Frank Sinatra, July Garland, and Dinah Shore. He is the recipient of a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Aguabella is the subject of a documentary film about his musical life, Sworn to the Drum, by Les Blank.

Alfred Ortiz

Joe Addington

Kiko Cornejo Jr.

Nacho Ontiveros &
F. Aguabella

Joey De Francesco w/Tony

Eddie Drayton