Biography

Avizo are a charting, Grammy-nominated tejano band from Houston, Texas whose sound also embodies cumbia, conjunto, salsa, and vintage R&B. They are locally known as "Houston's Powerhouse." The band was formed by trumpeter Robert Dorantes in Houston in 1984. His purpose was a kind of protest against tejano bands turning away from a traditional horn-based sound to one generated electronically by keyboards. But Avizo are not anti-keyboards; the group's front line includes them, as well as accordion. Though they originally performed Top 40 Latin and pop covers to get gigs, their enormous sound and energy prompted a local DJ to give them their nickname and inspired a move toward an exclusive tejano sound. The lineup consists of Dorantes, singer "GQ" Chris Quiroga, trumpeter Lonny Lalanne, trombonist Sal Gonzales, saxophonist Tory Treviño, drummer Sergio "Sarge" Salas, Ralph Garcia on keyboards and accordion, bassist Rick Rios, and guitarist Mike Garcia. Even when covering radio hits, the band never strayed from its tejano roots. After the turn of the 21st century, they gave up pop and added conjunto, cumbia, and salsa to the mix, while R&B came later. Their 2005 album, The Power of Friends, included a large number of guest appearances by tejano and norteño luminaries including Little Joe Hernandez, Rudy Rincon, Jay Perez, Rubén Ramos, Augustín Ramírez, David Marez, and Tracy Perez. Avizo scored big at regional radio, and their reputation -- furthered by the band's touring of the American Southwest -- earned them a Grammy nomination in 2006. The same year, Avizo received five Tejano Music Award nominations. (They have also been nominated for each subsequent recording.) Playing regionally all year round, Avizo have managed to release an album roughly every two years on their own Powerhouse label. Their 2011 date, Mas Amigos, placed well inside the Top 100 on the Top Latin Albums chart. Arriving in 2016, Reflejos was a collaboration between Avizo and fellow tejano legend Jimmy Edward (ex-Latin Breed); it was followed by Q Majesty in 2017. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi