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& Friends
Biographies
Wayne
Johnson
 Wayne
Johnson, is another native New Yorker.
Born in St. Albans, he was raised in Queens and began showing interest in
drumming in the 5th grade. His
dad played jazz saxophone with groups in New York.
But what moved Wayne was drums – from a young age he loved parades and
marching to the drums. His family
moved to San Francisco when Wayne was 14 years old.
A gifted student, he attended a magnet school focused on scholastics.
After graduation, Wayne followed his first love and attended North Texas
State, studying jazz. Throughout his college years he played funk with NY
Smiley, a local college group. They
performed in a number of clubs in Dallas/Fort Worth area. When
the itch to move hit Wayne again, he headed back to New York. He played with Mark Estabaz Quartet for about two years.
After some absence from music and pursuing more practical matters, more
current circumstances brought him to Albuquerque.
In 2000 he hooked up with the John Lewis Quartet and played with them for
three years before joining NY Louie & Friends.
John
Dubois
 Raised
in Albuquerque, NM, John Dubois brings his talent and energy to the group
playing sax and flute.
He began playing sax at the age of 13, and was given his first instrument
by his uncle, also a musician.
He comes from a music loving family, and has had their support as he
played in the high school jazz band, directed by one of his mentors, Paul Blakey,
and with the New Mexico Jazz Workshop big band.
He has played and recorded with a variety of local bands including Native
Roots and Micky Cruz.
His devotion to music shows in his long hours of practice.
This effort also resulted in his winning a scholarship from the Rio
Grande Jazz Society.
His college plans include lots of music.
He is an enthusiastic new member of NY Louie & Friends and is
enjoying the Latin groove of the group, playing with the group at “Salsa Under
the Stars”, Pappadeaux’s, and the Durango Wine & Art Festival.
Jeff
Kashiwa (special guest,
courtesy of Native Language Music) 
Master sax player, composer, and musician,
Jeff added his special talents to "Follow Me, Follow My Groove" in a
recording session in April 2003. We are especially pleased to have him
join us on this CD. To see a full bio, and buy Jeff's CDs please go to his
web site at www.jeffkashiwa.com.
Reggy Marks
 Bronx born Reggy Marks began his music
studies in elementary school, and later majored in music at Hunter College in
New York City. His talents with
tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, flute, keyboards and percussion earned him
a place in the “First Air Force Band” where he played classical, jazz, show
tunes and marching band music in concerts and night clubs throughout the United
States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. He has performed
with George Benson, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Kirkland (former pianist for Wynton
Marsailles and Sting), Tito Puente Band, Cal Tjader, Wilson Pickett, The James
Brown Review, the Latin Soul Sextet (NY Louie), and for the past 10 years with
Mumbo Gumbo. Recent recordings include; Mumbo Gumbo 7, Potluck, and Big Smiley.
Other accomplishments include membership in the American Society of
Composers, and giving private instruction on saxophone, flute, and music theory.
Henry Velasquez
 Another New York native from the Bronx,
Henry Velasquez played percussion in groups as a teen in upstate New York
resorts (including the Latin Soul Sextet) and in New York City.
A well practiced musician, Henry later jammed with Cuban and Puerto Rican
musicians in the Florida area where he lived, and has played with a Merengue group at Beached Hotel in Palm Beach. Now
located in Atlanta, GA, he has played with local jazz, funk, and rock and roll
groups including jams with drummer Rory Knapton. More recently Henry has performed with Rio Negro
at the 2002 Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Atlanta Central Park Festival, opened for
Jonathan Buttler, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and played and recorded with Abebi
Flatfford.
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Richard
"Kcool" Hall
 Born
in Detroit, the day Kcool came home, the entire jazz big band (including the
dancing girls) that his dad performed with, were Richard
listened to everything growing up in Motown: jazz, R&B, funk, rock, jazz
fusion and Latin. He took a workman attitude in learning his craft. It didn’t
hurt growing up with the siblings of Barry Gordy, Aretha Franklin, Gladys
Knight, the Temptations, the Spinners and the Winans. He saw first hand the
struggles they endured. Richard relocated to
Albuquerque, New Mexico to go to college. He became involved in the music scene
and was given the stage name of “Kcool”, for his laid-back style.
“Kcool” has performed with acts that have opened up for major acts such as:
Peabo Bryson, Ebony Webb, Tower of Power, Tierra, War, Atlantic Starr, Ornette
Coleman and Buckwheat Zydeco, in addition to being the bassist for the legendary
Bo Diddely. He
now adds his special groove to NY Louie & Friends - Feel the bottom and his
groove to make yo’ body move.
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Phil E. Arnold
 Phil is originally from Albuquerque, NM.
Freelance Musician/Recording Artist for over Twenty years in New York City.
Primary instruments: Bass Trombone, Tenor Trombone and Tuba, Euphonium, and
Chromatic and Diatonic Harmonicas. His first instruments were trumpet, flugelhorn and trombone.
Performance with well know groups and artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Woody
Shaw, Clark Terry, the Gil Evans Orchestra, Joe Williams, B.B. King, Tito
Puente, Ray Barretto, the Uptown Horns, Frank Sinatra Jr., Mariah Carey and the
Charles Mingus Orchestra. Pit
musician for Broadway and Regional Musical Theatre.
Hired as professional support to school/community orchestra such as New
York University, Long Island University, and the Henry Street Settlement.
Recent performance and recordings have included Richie Cole and the Alto
Madness Orchestra as well as the Chico O’ Farell Latin-Jazz Orchestra.
Phil is one of the newest members of NY Louie & Friends, and adds his
high-energy horn solos to the group. Recent gigs with NY Louie &
Friends includes The Mountain View Club and Relaxations in Albuquerque New Mexico.
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Camilo Quinones
 Camilo A. Quinones was Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in March of
1983. Born to a Puerto Rican Father and a Cubana Mother, he was raised on
the Afro-Caribbean sounds of the islands. Camilo has been studying/playing Drums and Percussion since he
was 7 years of age. Fallowing the lineage of Quinones, Uncle Rafael
Quinones, and brother Marc Quinones. Camilo's musical abilities have
earned him Timbalero of the year, 2002, 2003, 2005 and Drummer of the year 2006,
from the New Mexico Musicians fund Awards...in addition his skills have enabled
Camilo to sit in and play with the likes of: Tito Puente Sr. (R.I.P.)
& Tito Puete Jr, The Allman Brothers Band, Carlos Santana, The Spanish
Harlem Orquestra, Poncho Sanchez, Jonny Polanco y su Cunjunto Amistad, and good
friends Ozomatli.. to name a few!!! Camilo is on of NY Louie & Friends
newest percussionist who added lost of spice to the band.
Renee
Navarro
 Rene Navarro Bacallao was born in Habana Cuba, He had
an inclination towards music since very young. He played in the band in
his elementary school. As an adolescent, he played with other music enthusiasts.
While enlisted in the military service, he was in the military band playing the
clarinet. Upon finishing his military service, he played
professionally in music with various bands like “el Quinteto Los 5”, “El
Curteto Violines” and “El
Sexteto Tradicion”, by night.
He also started “el Groupo De Albita Rodrigues”, as a percussionist
and played other parts as well. He graduated with a degree in music in
1990. Many new opportunities became available to Renee and
opened new horizons when he immigrated to the United States in 1997.
He recorded with the band Casablanca on their “Peregrinos” CD,
he has also played with “la Charanga del Valle”, “Café Moca”,
and “Mike Cruz”. At the present he is percussionist with NY
Louie and Friends, where he feels
fulfilled to be able to work at what he loves the most, to be able to bring
happiness to those who need it.
Tony
Quinones
 Born in Puerto Rico, Tony Quinones started playing congas at the young
age of fourteen. By the age
seventeen he was playing professionally with the Latin jazz group called the
Latin Jazz Sextet. By his mid
twenties he had played with several New York City Latin bands in the New York
state areas. At the age of
twenty-five he began playing with a group known as Los Siete Cuarantaysiete. He also played with Willie Rosario’s group, Charanga
America, Mi GrupoY Bomba, Yomo Toro’s group and the famous Johnny Pacheco’s
group. By 1969 wile still playing
with different groups throughout the New York area, began to teach inner city
kids in Manhattan. The name of the
school was Taller Loiza for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies out of Hunter
College. Followed by
his move to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he has been residing for the
last past thirty something years, playing with various musical groups and
teaching at Explora, a children’s science center.
Some of the names of the group are Alma a Jazz group, Ayocuan, and
Cuicanni, both a folkloric group, Franc Chiwewe and his orchestral all round
tropical group, Salsa Maria, Case Blanca and Encanto another salsa groups, Milo
and Friends a eclectic group and for the pass three years with NY Louie &
Friends adding the spicy hot New York Salsa/Latin Jazz and funky Smooth Jazz
sound to the group.
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