CantoSur Brazilian Jazz Band

CantoSur will provide the perfect music for your event. We specialize in soothing but lively background music for dinner, cocktail hour, etc. We will work with you to decide on the ideal set up of the band, repertoire and ambiance needed for your specific event. We will only accept events if we feel confident that we can provide the right type of music and sound.

Guitarist Dani Cortaza specializes in Brazilian, Latin jazz and South American folklore, in both nylon and electric jazz guitar. In addition, he also performs, composes and arranges Latin American folk music. He has appeared in many prestigious concert venues around the world, and locally at Blues Alley, the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe, Silver Spring Jazz Festival and Gala Theater, just to name a few venues. He received two MD State Arts Council’s “Artistic Excellence” Awards, in 2007 (Best Performer and Arranger in the Instrumental Music category) and in 2017 (Best Composer in the Word Music category). His first US-released CD Expressions (2007) received a WAMMIE nomination for Best Jazz Album. On February 29, 2020, Dani Cortaza was invited to appear with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Terrace Theater in Washington DC, as featured artist in a concert that celebrated the music of Tom Jobim. Dani is currently working on a new CD of Jazz ballads and South American rhythms with his jazz quartet and a string orchestra that will be released later this year.
Vocalist Cecilia Esquivel is a versatile singer that has learned to capture the essence of several musical genres, specializing in Brazilian music and South American folk music. Cecilia studied at the National Conservatory of Music in Argentina. She moved to Washington in 1984 to continue her studies in vocal jazz performance. Cecilia holds a BA in Music Performance from the University of Maryland. Cecilia performs Latin American music for audiences of all ages in schools, libraries, festivals and major public venues. She also teaches workshops and residencies. In addition, Cecilia is very active in the Washington area music scene. She performs both as a soloist and with ensembles, and does studio work as a singer, arranger and recording producer. Her work has earned her repeated recognition and awards from the Washington Area Music Association.
The duo is often accompanied by top musicians from the Washington DC Metropolitan Area and New York on keyboard, bass, percussion, drums, horns and other South American instruments.

We provide our own sound system for events up to 150 guests. We set up in one location only, there is an additional charge for setting up in another location during the same event. Please be mindful of locating the band away from doors or high traffic areas.