Presentation: John Santos and The Afro-Roots of Latin Jazz and Salsa

Co-sponsorship with Latinx Center and African-American Center
Saturday, 9/20/2025
3:00 - 5:00
Koret Auditorium
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400

John Santos, seven-time Grammy-nominated percussionist and SF Jazz Resident Artistic Director, explores how Blackness is an essential element in the American musical forms known as Latin Jazz and Salsa. Through visual and audio examples, this brief lecture will provide a snapshot of the African roots of Latin Jazz and Salsa, two American musical genres (in the true sense of the word 'American.') that have garnered international popularity in the last 50-75 years.

Connect: John Santos - Website 

Dance & Music

Enjoy performances, talks and workshops that celebrate movement and the musical arts.

¡VIVA!: Latinx Interest

Connect to engaging discussions and performances related to the Latinx community.

¡VIVA! at the Library is a celebration of Latinx heritage, cultures and traditions. San Francisco has a rich Latinx heritage that is highlighted in a diverse array of exciting programs for all ages, from Spanish/bilingual storytimes to cooking classes, author talks to art and cultural presentations.

More Than a Month: Black Interest

Connect to engaging discussions and performances related to the Black community.

More Than a Month recognizes important events in Black history, honors community and national leaders and fosters steps towards collective change. Programming features authors, poets and craft classes. 

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.