Cuban-born jazz drummer Francisco Mela is an in-demand performer and session musician who combines his knowledge of Cuban musical traditions with jazz and contemporary styles. Born in Bayamo, Cuba in 1968, Mela grew up studying the piano and drums, and eventually enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2000. In 2006, he released his debut solo album, Melao. He returned in 2008 with the live album Cirio: Live at the Blue Note, which found the drummer playing alongside such adventurous artists as saxophonist Mark Turner and pianist Jason Moran. In 2011, inspired by such longtime influences as Miles Davis, Weather Report, and Chucho Valdés with Irakere, Mela and his ensemble Cuban Safari released the studio effort Tree of Life. ~ Matt Collar