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 Donovan Mixon's Hybrid Project
Koc University, Istanbul - Turkey

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Evanston Jazz—“Donovan’s Garage” presents:
“The DMix Afro-Latino Quintet” March 18, 2025

The show will feature a quintet of well-known Chicago-based musicians, bringing on a fusion of African and Latino rhythms with American style jazz. As with alI the “Donovan’s Garage” events, the show will be free and open to the public. 

“Donovan’s Garage’ events, brings Chicago’s top jazz players to Evanston for free performances, with each event featuring a different theme and a varying cast of prominent Chicago jazz artists. Over the past two years, Mixon has introduced his Evanston fans to more than 50 of Chicago’ top jazz players. “It’s my way of giving back to the city I love,” said Mixon, “and the players love the enthusiasm of the audience.”

The Backstory: The “Donovan’s Garage” shows emerged from the Covid pandemic, when Mixon’s many friends in the Chicago jazz scene would gather in the garage of his Evanston home, which he had converted to a studio. The impromptu performances attracted the attention of his neighbors who would gather in the alley for an evening of jazz. While Covid has receded, Mixon has continued to bring his jazz colleagues to Evanston for the free shows, now done in the former Second Church of Christ Scientist in Evanston.

About the players:

Award-winning Cuban-born tenor saxophonist Rocky Yera. Rocky’s music is shaped by legendary artists such as Cannonball Adderley, Stan Getz, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.The recipient of prestigious awards, including the Downbeat Magazine Outstanding Performance Award and the Vail Jazz Foundation Scholarship, Rocky has graced stages around the world, from Jazz at Lincoln Center to the Green Mill in Chicago. He has performed with iconic musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Arturo Sandoval, and Roy Hargrove, making this performance a must-see for any jazz enthusiast. Yera’s debut album, Just Practice, released in2018, highlights his innovative approach to jazz, incorporating guitar effects pedals into his saxophone playing, a signature sound that sets him apart. Produced by Grammy-winning Richard Aspin wall and featuring Jeff Coffin of the Dave Matthews Band, the album explores a bold fusion of jazz and electronic textures. Currently performing in Chicago, Rocky captivates audiences with his dynamic, genre-blurring style.

On drums is Juan Pastor, a fixture in the Chicago jazz scene, whose mastery of Afro-Peruvian rhythms seamlessly blends with contemporary jazz. Born in Lima, Peru, his early immersion in the rich tapestry of Peruvian folk music laid the foundation for his unique musical voice. His passion for jazz led him to Chicago where he majored in Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University followed by a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from DePaul. In 2013 he formed Chinchano, an ensemble that weaves the evocative rhythms of Afro-Peruvian music with modern jazz. Internationally, Juan has performed with Chinchano in the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Made in Chicago Jazz Festival in Poland, and the Chicago Latin Jazz Festival. Over the course of his career he has collaborated with a constellation of musical greats, including Fareed Haque, Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Miguel Zenón, Paquito de Rivera, Howard Levy, and Kurt Elling. Juan’s artistry extends beyond performance—he’s a highly regarded educator, currently serving as the Coordinator of the Jazz Program at North Central College. He is the author of the book “Bateria Peruana, a groundbreaking exploration of polyrhythmic grooves inspired by Peruvian folk music.
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On piano is Darwin Noguera well known in the world of Latin Jazz. Inspired by icons such as Chucho Valdes and Robert Glasper, Noguera is a sought-after voice in the Latin Jazz scene, having helmed 3 albums, commissioned works, recordings, performances and masterclasses across the United States and around the world. A graduate of DePaul University and the Manhattan School of Music, Darwin made his mark in jazz world through collaborations with Grammy Award-winning artists like Paquito Rivera, Miguel Zenón, and Bobby Sanabria, with whom he made his Carnegie Hall debut. Noguera is known for his dynamic piano performance with the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band, including work on the Big Band’s Grammy-nominated album West Side Story: Reimagined. With his innovative project, The Darwin Noguera Group, he blends Afro-Cuban Jazz and Jazz Rap, creating a sound that is both fresh and compelling.

Playing Bass is Chicago native Joshua Ramos, who grew up in a musical household. Both his parents were musicians, providing a nurturing environment that shaped his path as a musician. Joshua first took up the bass in seventh grade under the guidance of Margaro Torres, a church musician and cousin of famed Salsa pianist Edwin Sanchez. It put him on path to a celebrated career. Joshua honed his skills at Chicago’s Merit School of Music, performing with Latin jazz greats like John Santos and Wayne Wallace, and then at Northern Illinois University, where he studied jazz under the mentorship of renowned pianist Dan Nimmer. He has traveled the world performing with legendary musicians, and teaching music to a wide range of students. He has played at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center on a journey of nonstop musical growth, solidifying his place as a force in both jazz and Latin music.

On guitar is Evanston’s Donovan Mixon, the founder of the “Donovan’s Garage Project” and a self-described citizen of the world. In 1988, then a Berklee College of Music professor, he was awarded an NEA grant for jazz composition. His artistic journey let to an 18-year residency in Europe, primarily in Italy and Turkey, where he performed at music festivals such as the Umbria and Istanbul jazz festivals and taught concepts from his unique method called Performance Ear Training at music schools and universities such as DAMS in Bologna Italy and at Istanbul’s Bilgi University.
Since 2010, Chicago has been his creative hub where he performs in clubs, concert halls and festivals with his World Jazz Quintet as well as with the GBME--Great Black Music Ensemble—of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) of which heis a recent inductee.

His latest recording, “Finding Center” is set for prerelease in May 2025. It features all original compositions, fellow AACM members Fred Jackson Jr, Leon Q Allen and other instrumentalists such as Robert Irving III, Charles Heath, Emmanuel Ngolle, Cory Biggerstaff and the splendid voice of Sarah Marie Young.




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