Fellow Berklee faculty member and world-renown saxophonist, Joe Lovano, heard Mela and was immediately impressed, hiring him to play in his quartet. Since 2005, Mela has been an integral part of Joe Lovano’s quartet and his new group, “Us Five,” a two-drummer quintet. Their 2009 Blue Note Records recording, titled Folk Art, was considered by many critics to be Lovano’s most adventurous to date. In 2009, Mela was tapped by jazz legend McCoy Tyner to join his trio; said Tyner of his new young drummer, “Mela is just a fantastic player. He has his own style and his own sound, which is what I look for in a drummer.”
Recent AFA Performances:
June 26, 2020 On_Line Salon w/ Hery Paz, Juanma Trujillo
July 31, 2020 On_Line Salon w/ William Parker, James Brandon Lewis, Devin Brahja Waldman
Bandcamp: https://franciscomela.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/francisicocanopus/