Unconventionality largely defines the music of SYOTOS, New York City's premier Latin jazz group. Its unique sound is a combination of salsa, dissonance, big band-style jazz, and up-tempo Afro-Latin beats.
SYOTOS is comprised of six musicians: John Walsh, on trumpet; Chris Washburne, on trombone; Ole Mathisen, on tenor saxophone and clarinet; Barry Olsen, on piano; Leo Traversa, on bass; Vince Cherico,on drums; and Wilson "Chembo" Corniel, on percussion.
The band will perform tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Kanbar Auditorium, inside the Studzinski Recital Hall
According to Washburne, the band's leader, the group is "a collection of the busiest jazz and salsa musicians in NY?all of whom are interested in combing the two styles and experimenting with them."
Washburne is an oddity in that, as an ethnomusicology professor at Columbia University, he teaches the same genres of music that he performs. This is the exception rather than the rule, according to Bowdoin Assistant Professor of Music Joanna Bosse.
"Most ethnomusicologists do not actually go on tour and give concerts in the styles they teach," Bosse said. "Because of his insider information as a performer, he asks interesting questions and his experience helps him give interesting answers. He asks questions and gives answers in ways I haven't thought about before."
It is Washburne's unusual ability to both teach and play the same kind of music that prompted Bosse to invite him to perform on campus.
"What makes Chris different is that he is an expert performer and expert academic in the same kind of music. Chris wants to teach people about salsa, he wants to create a smart audience," said Bosse.
Washburne's desire to educate people about Latin and jazz music inspires him to take time from his New York life and perform for students.
"Colleges are some of my favorite venues to perform. There is always an educational perspective, and I'm always trying to spread the jazz word. I want my audience to be informed," said Washburne.
"I can't imagine there is a large Latino population in Maine, so many of the people there may not have been exposed to this music," he added. "Many people don't realize how important Latin music is and the strong contributions that it has made to the mainstream."
Washburne's passion for Latin music stems from his student days at the New England Conservatory, where he met and began to play with several Caribbean and Brazilian musicians.
"It was love at first hearing," said Washburne. "I threw myself into Latin music as I had thrown myself into jazz?the difference being that this time I did it on my own, not as a student."
The creation of a Latin jazz band was a natural step for Washburne, because "Latin is one of the few kinds of music in which the trombone can take the lead, and I didn't want to just support."
However, SYOTOS's history is not quite so simple.
The band's very name?an acronym for "see you on the other side"?comes from Washburne's bout with skin cancer.
"The only option was surgery....all the muscles and nerves would be removed from one side of my face," he said. "According to [doctors], it would prevent me from ever playing trombone again. Without the surgery I would have a 50 percent chance of surviving."
"The night before the surgery, I was going to play my last gig, and at the end of night I said to my fellow band members, 'see you on the other side,' meaning, see you on the side of my life, where I won't be playing trombone anymore, or worse," he continued.
When Washburne defied expectations and slowly regained his ability to play, SYOTOS was born. And while the band's music is unconventional, Washburne insists that this should not prevent people from enjoying it.
"It's not a stretch for anyone to love this music," he said. "Latin has elements in common with every other kind of music?unless you're a big fan of nothing but Gregorian chants.