Latin jazz legend Pete Escovedo showcases his love of art in new California tour

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Pete Escovedo has had a long and storied career as a musician.

He grew up in the East Bay playing percussion in local clubs, toured with Carlos Santana's band in the 1970s, owned a nightclub in Berkeley, performed at the White House and has won a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last week, he celebrated his 90th birthday in Paris while touring with his daughter Sheila E.

Music is his life, but not his only passion.

Escovedo remembers drawing while he was a student at McClymond's High School in Oakland when a teacher gave him the encouragement he needed to take his artwork seriously.

"She said you paint whatever you want to paint, whatever you feel, whatever you see, whatever you remember. Try to capture all these things and emotions in painting," Escovedo said.

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Escovedo lives in the Los Angeles area, but he came back to the Bay Area for the start of a new tour -- not of his music, but of his paintings.

Dozens of his creations are being exhibited at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) in San Francisco.

It was a natural fit to start his art tour here.

"There are so many people in the Mission connected to Escovedo. He played with so many musicians of the Mission and contributed to the sound of Latin Jazz," said Dr. Martina Ayala, MCCLA executive director.

His art is bold and colorful and very expressive.

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"Most of them are very vibrant, lively colors and that's the way I like to feel, that my music is vibrant and colorful, and so that ties in together," said Escovedo while visiting the exhibit at MCCLA.

But unlike his music, which can liven up any party, his paintings are more reflective.

"There's a sad part to some of the faces. And if you look at the eyes, the eyes are always very heavy, very deep," he said.

It's as if the people in his paintings are searching for something. He says it comes from memories of his childhood after his parents divorced when he was six.

"Being in a situation like that as a young boy, you don't feel loved. Where is home," said Escovedo, who had to stay in an orphanage with his brother for a period of time. "I think that's one of the emotions that I bring out in a lot of the paintings. That lack of love, and still searching for it."

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Escovedo says his abstract paintings let him release a lot of those emotions trapped inside.

He also says he feels blessed to be so close to his own kids.

Sheila E. had a top 10 hit with "The Glamorous Life" and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He still performs with her and his two sons, Peter Michael and Juan. His other daughter, Zina, is an actress and still connected to the entertainment business.

"Through the music, we've always been together, because we've traveled together. We play together," Escovedo said.

Now 90, Escovedo plans to focus more on painting, especially of musicians.

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Besides MCCLA, his artwork is also being exhibited Grand Gallery in Oakland until the end of July.

Then, his art goes on the road; the selection of paintings may change along the tour.

"The idea was to select pieces that the audience can say, 'I see my culture in these works. I see myself in these works,'" said Curator Eric Murphy.

For Escovedo, seeing his artwork at a gallery is overwhelming.

"I never thought this was possible. I always painted for myself, but to see it on the walls, where people can come and see it, it's a big thing for me," he said.

The "Pete Escovedo: Cali Art Tour" can be viewed at Studios 11 and The Grand Gallery in Oakland until July 31 and at MCCLA in San Francisco until Aug. 2.

Afterward, it will travel to Los Angeles, Carmel and San Diego.