The following bios were current as of the Master Musician award date, but have not been updated.
Music has been a part of Francisco Aguabella's life since he was a child growing up in Cuba. Since his beginnings of playing drums with his friends on discarded Carnation cans, Mr. Aguabella has become one of the world's premiere Afro-cuban drummers. He has been honored by the City of Los Angeles, City of San Francisco and received a 1992 National Heritage Fellowship for his contribution to the arts. He has worked with such artists as Carlos Santana, Tito Puente, and is the subject of a documentary directed by Les Blank for Zoetrope Studios.
In Nigeria, the unique style of drumming known as the talking-drum traditionally has been played by commoners for royalty. But Francis Awe, prince of the Yoruba tribe, broke with tradition and adopted this unique instrument, mastering it and teaching others this rich tradition. Mr. Awe has performed throughout the world, and been a part of events such as the California Institute for the Arts World Music Festival and the Watts Tower Drum Festival.
Souhail Kaspar is a highly acclaimed performer on Near Eastern percussion instruments. Born in Lebanon, Mr. Kaspar received his early musical training in Syria, where he studied the basic theory and technique of Arab percussion playing with established artists. In the United States, Mr. Kaspar and his partner Ali Jihad Racy have performed in major Middle Eastern nightclubs in Los Angeles, at cultural events, and have taught at workshops and master classes.
Cecil James (Big Jay) McNeely, a legend of the R&B and jazz music scene, is known as the "King of Honking Tenor Saxophone. " Mr. McNeely has been performing his pioneering style of music since the 1940s, touring with other well known performers such as Billie Holliday, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, and Bill Haley & the Comets. "Big Jay McNeely was famed for his playing-on-his-back acrobatics and his raw, hard-swinging pyrotechnics, both of which influenced rock guitarists, including Dick Dale and Jimi Hendrix." (The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll) Mr. McNeely regularly tours throughout Europe, North Africa, Australia, Japan, and to US jazz festivals.
Yinn Ponn was one of the few artists to survive the genocide of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia during the 1970s. Mr. Yinn fled Cambodia in 1978, having worked in and survived the labor camps. With the help of the National Council for the Traditional Arts and other organizations, he worked to rebuild the traditions of the Cambodian arts. Mr. Yinn formed his Long Beach-based Pin Peat orchestra "to strengthen and expand this orchestra and ensure the survival of Cambodia's musical heritage." Mr. Yinn passed away in 2001.
Lakshmi Shankar's performance style is often described as mesmerizing, spellbinding her audiences with her extraordinary voice. Born in Northern India, Mrs. Shankar began training as a dancer when she was young, but was forced to stop dancing due to a serious illness, and began a singing career at the age of 25. Mrs. Shankar first came to the US in the 1960s on a tour with her brother-in-law, Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitar player. Though she now lives in the United States, she continues to tour throughout the world, visiting her native India often.
Arts Programs
Music has been a part of Francisco Aguabella's life since he was a child growing up in Cuba. Since his beginnings of playing drums with his friends on discarded Carnation cans, Mr. Aguabella has become one of the world's premiere Afro-cuban drummers. He has been honored by the City of Los Angeles, City of San Francisco and received a 1992 National Heritage Fellowship for his contribution to the arts. He has worked with such artists as Carlos Santana, Tito Puente, and is the subject of a documentary directed by Les Blank for Zoetrope Studios.
In Nigeria, the unique style of drumming known as the talking-drum traditionally has been played by commoners for royalty. But Francis Awe, prince of the Yoruba tribe, broke with tradition and adopted this unique instrument, mastering it and teaching others this rich tradition. Mr. Awe has performed throughout the world, and been a part of events such as the California Institute for the Arts World Music Festival and the Watts Tower Drum Festival.
Souhail Kaspar is a highly acclaimed performer on Near Eastern percussion instruments. Born in Lebanon, Mr. Kaspar received his early musical training in Syria, where he studied the basic theory and technique of Arab percussion playing with established artists. In the United States, Mr. Kaspar and his partner Ali Jihad Racy have performed in major Middle Eastern nightclubs in Los Angeles, at cultural events, and have taught at workshops and master classes.
Cecil James (Big Jay) McNeely, a legend of the R&B and jazz music scene, is known as the "King of Honking Tenor Saxophone. " Mr. McNeely has been performing his pioneering style of music since the 1940s, touring with other well known performers such as Billie Holliday, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, and Bill Haley & the Comets. "Big Jay McNeely was famed for his playing-on-his-back acrobatics and his raw, hard-swinging pyrotechnics, both of which influenced rock guitarists, including Dick Dale and Jimi Hendrix." (The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll) Mr. McNeely regularly tours throughout Europe, North Africa, Australia, Japan, and to US jazz festivals.
Yinn Ponn was one of the few artists to survive the genocide of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia during the 1970s. Mr. Yinn fled Cambodia in 1978, having worked in and survived the labor camps. With the help of the National Council for the Traditional Arts and other organizations, he worked to rebuild the traditions of the Cambodian arts. Mr. Yinn formed his Long Beach-based Pin Peat orchestra "to strengthen and expand this orchestra and ensure the survival of Cambodia's musical heritage." Mr. Yinn passed away in 2001. 
Lakshmi Shankar's performance style is often described as mesmerizing, spellbinding her audiences with her extraordinary voice. Born in Northern India, Mrs. Shankar began training as a dancer when she was young, but was forced to stop dancing due to a serious illness, and began a singing career at the age of 25. Mrs. Shankar first came to the US in the 1960s on a tour with her brother-in-law, Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitar player. Though she now lives in the United States, she continues to tour throughout the world, visiting her native India often.