SELECTED AWARDS & HONORS
SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director 2013 / 2014
Advisory Board, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, NYC 2012 – present
Advisory Board, Jazz Camp West, Berkeley, CA 2012 – present
Advisory Board, Oaktown Jazz Workshop, Oakland, CA 2012 – present
Master/Apprentice grants for Santos/Navarrette respectively, from NALAC (2012) & ACTA (2013)
ABC Channel 7 Profiles in Excellence Honoree 2012
San Francisco Latino Heritage Arts Award, City and County, Legislature and Congressional award 2012
Community Leadership Award from the San Francisco Foundation 2011
East Bay Fund For Artists Grant by the East Bay Community Foundation for commissioning Filosofía Caribeña 2010
Grant from NALAC (National Association for Latino Arts and Culture) for commissioning Filosofía Caribeña 2010
GRAMMY nomination for La Guerra No by John Santos y El Coro Folklórico Kindembo (Machete) 2010
Performing Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Silicon Valley 2009
Perspectiva Fragmentada by the JS Quintet nominated for Cubadisco award (Cuban Grammys) 2009
Perspectiva Fragmentada by the JS Quintet nominated by the Jazz Journalists Assoc. as a top Latin Jazz release of 2008
Perspectiva Fragmentada by JS Quintet, selected among the best Latin Jazz CDs of ’08 by All About Jazz Magazine (NY)
John Santos Quintet voted Best Latin Band of the Bay Area by the East Bay Express 2008
Mayoral Proclamation of Artistic/Cultural Recognition, City of San Francisco 2008
USA Fontanals Fellow 2007
Papa Mambo by the John Santos Quintet nominated by the Latin Jazz Corner for 2007 Album of The Year
Commissioned by SF Jazz Festival to compose and premiere Traditions in Transition with the SF High School All Star Big Band at the Palace of Fine Arts, November 11, 2007
Grant from Fund For Folk Culture in support of CD project La Guerra No by JS and The Coro Folklórico Kindembo ’07
Champion of Diversity Award from the University of California at San Francisco 2006
November 12, 2006 proclaimed John Santos Day in San Francisco by Mayor Gavin Newsom
GRAMMY nomination for Latigo by Quartet San Francisco with special guest, John Santos (ViolinJazz) 2006
GRAMMY nomination for Para Todos Ustedes in the field of Best World Music Album 2006
GRAMMY nomination for Para Ellos in the field of Best Folk Album 2005
Bay Area’s Best Latin Band, SF Bay Guardian 2004
GRAMMY nomination for SF Bay in the field of Best Latin Jazz Album 2003
Commission by Oakland Ballet to compose and premiere Union Fraternal for Fall season 2000
Variety of Grants (Artist-in-Residence, Fellowship, Multi-Cultural Entry Level, etc.) California Arts Council 1976-1999
Commission by Brava! for Women in the Arts to compose original score for play, Watsonville, by Cherrie Moraga 1996 INDIE AWARD from NAIRD for Vivito y Coleando by Conjunto Céspedes, produced by John Santos 1995
Commission by ODC to compose and premiere Under the Jaguar Sun at Yerba Buena Gardens Theater, S.F. CA 1994
INDIE AWARD from NAIRD for Una Sola Casa by Conjunto Céspedes, produced by John Santos 1993
Artistic Community Service Award Mission Economic and Cultural Association, S.F., CA 1992
S.F. Weekly WAMMY Award for J.S. and Machete 1992
Commission by the National Performance Network and the Asociación de Músicos Latino Americanos to compose and premiere Caribeño Suite at the Mellon Jazz Festival, Philadelphia, PA 1991
Artists Fellowship California Arts Council 1991
New Langton Arts and Festival 2000 grants for From Here to There with visual artist Kate Connell, S.F. 1990