Planet Afrobeat
To call the Mexican - American, California native Ron Meza a musical chameleon barely evokes the diverse range of music that he has both composed and performed. As a trumpeter, Ron has accompanied such renowned musical stars as Joe Zawinul, Carlos Santana, Lester Bowie, Barbara Morrison, Frank Wess, Teddy Edwards, John Lee Hooker jr. & Patrice Rushen. He is not only a jazzman but also a World Music specialist having played with Salif Keita, Mory Kanté, Carlinhos Brown, Touré Kunda & Youssou N'Dour. He is a mover and a shaker who doesn't hesitate to realize his ideas. In 1988 he formed and co-led the Paris Jazz Orchestra, now known as the High Definition Big Band, which won the Kanterbrau battle of the big bands in 1991 and took center stage at the grand opening of EuroDisney in April of 1992.
Ron moved to Paris in 1987 after talking with his jazz mentor, bebop great, Donald Byrd. Ron not only found the Parisian Jazz scene at full speed but also discovered the emerging World Music scene in its infancy. He stepped right into the band of Salif Keita and was immediately immersed in the nascent universe of this new World Music. Ron toured the world with Keita for 7 years and played many of the world's biggest concert stages such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1988. He also toured with Mory Kanté for 6 years and once again found himself at the historical Montreux Jazz Festival of 1991 where Miles Davis was the featured star. Ron toured with Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy in 1993 and 1996 again playing the biggest jazz festivals in Europe. As a first call studio musician, Ron has recorded many famous World Music albums such as Youssou N'Dour’s "Womat" (that included the international hit "7 seconds"), Salif Keita's "Amen" (produced by Weather Report's Joe Zawinul) and the Carlinhos Brown album "Alfagammabetizado" (produced by Level 42 producer Wally Badarou).