Bill Ortiz

A San Francisco native, Ortiz began trumpet studies early and made the rounds of the Bay Area club scene in his late teens and early 20s. He gained formative experience in Batachanga, the revered Afro-Cuban orchestra led by percussionist and former SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director John Santos — still a valued collaborator and mentor — and led a staggeringly varied career in jazz, soul, Afro-Cuban, and pop settings. Work with the likes of Tony! Toni! Tone!, TLC, and En Vogue were balanced by experiences with jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Wayne Shorter, as well as his Latin jazz playing with Tito Puente, Pete Escovedo, and Cachao Lopez.

Ortiz appeared on even albums with Santana including the multi-platinum megahit Supernatural, and currently can be heard with bassist Marcus Shelby’s superb orchestra.
Somehow the trumpeter has found time to release three albums as a leader, and Points of View is a widely varied collection of tunes written by Jaco Pastorius, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Wayne Shorter, with guests including drumming phenom Dennis Chambers and legendary Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson.