The following description comes from the event organizer.

Latin Rock Exchange plays dance music with a Latin and Afro-Cuban flair and flavor, with lots of percussion and salsa-inducing rhythms. Our sets cover Latin rock music from War, Barrabas, Buena Vista Social Club, Jobim, Santana, Bublé, Sade; and many other classics across generations, songs that almost everyone will know.

Although this band is fresh on the scene, we have a wide variety of experience in all kinds of musical entertainment, now combining forces to become Portland’s own Latin Rock band. Produced and directed by twice Grammy-nominated percussionist and animator, Mark Giles, who grew up listening to this music as a kid living in Nicaragua, Bolivia, Jamaica, Kenya, and Zambia, in the sixties and seventies.

“I am sixty-one and this band has now become my mission.” Mark explains. “Since receiving a space grant from Portland Parks and Recreation, I have been intentionally developing this band as a diverse, multicultural, multi-aged group. I also mix professional players with local younger players to help all ages get into this music. Hence the “Exchange" part of the name. I am building a community of players.”

Now there is a growing market for this genre, but there are very few local PDX bands who do this. Most come out of the Bay Area or southern California. This band strives to elevate the style and bring fresh new sounds and interpretations of these classic Latin rock and jazz songs.