Francisco Mela

Francisco Mela is a drummer, percussionist, composer, bandleader, and educator whose work joins Cuban musical foundations with modern and freely improvised jazz.

DrumsPercussionComposerEducator9 current shows

Photo source · Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Career Overview

About Francisco Mela

Berklee's faculty biography traces Mela's move from Cuba to Boston in 2000, his work as house drummer at Wally's Cafe, and the development of bands that connect modern jazz with Cuban musical traditions. The institution identifies him as an associate professor in its Percussion Department.[1]

The same profile documents sustained ensemble work with Joe Lovano and McCoy Tyner alongside Mela's leader groups. His artist-branded 577 Records catalog extends that work into MPT Trio and the three-part Music Frees Our Souls series with William Parker and a different pianist on each volume.[1][2][3][5]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Leader, drummer, and composer

MPT Trio

Mela leads a trio with tenor saxophonist Hery Paz and guitarist Juanma Trujillo, combining original music with Afro-Caribbean, contemporary, and freely improvised approaches.[2]

Leader and drummer

Music Frees Our Souls

Three-volume series, 2021–2024

The series keeps William Parker on bass while pairing Mela with Matthew Shipp, Cooper-Moore, and Leo Genovese on successive volumes dedicated to McCoy Tyner's mentorship.[3][4][5]

Leader, drummer, and composer

Cuban Safari and Crash Trio

Berklee's career guide identifies Cuban Safari and the Crash Trio among Mela's leader projects and places them beside his work with Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner, and other ensembles.[1]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

2021 · 577 Records

MPT Trio Volume 1

Leader, drummer, and composer

The trio's debut documents Mela with Hery Paz and Juanma Trujillo across eight originals shaped through rehearsals and performances over two and a half years.[2]

Release details

2021 · 577 Records