A Fond Farewell to Conjunto Colores’ Francisco Mejías on KUVO

After 35 years of playing in the local salsa group Conjunto Colores, Francisco Mejías is stepping down from his role of leading the band. Francisco and his wife Lola have lived in Denver for nearly 40 years and have not only made an impact on the Latin community, but they have also helped many of Colorado’s youth through the I Have a Dream Foundation in Boulder County. Now, they are ready to start the next chapter of their lives at their new home in Florida. This is not a goodbye though, but it’s a see you next time as Francisco plans to return periodically to play music in Denver!

Francisco “Frank” Mejías is the leader of Colorado’s dean of Latin bands, Conjunto Colores which started in the late 1970s. He began playing percussion with the group and when its founder, Octavio Figueroa left for Los Angeles in 1997 Francisco took over and elevated the status of the band increasing their popularity and always keeping up to date with the latest trends in salsa. Frank founded the Latin jazz ensemble: Ritmo Jazz Latino. Mejías is Puerto Rican and grew up in Brooklyn, NY before relocating to Denver in the 1970s. Besides playing with his bands, he is an in-demand percussionist for other groups. Francisco Mejías and Conjunto Colores were inducted into the Chicano Hall of Fame in 2017.

On Saturday, March 2 at 10:30 PM, Conjunto Colores will be celebrating Mejías’ 35 years of Salsa with a live salsa party at La Rumba in Denver. Salsa and bachata lessons will be offered before the performance on a walk-in basis, more details on their events page. The performance will include their normal lineup below as well as other special guests.

Francisco Mejías- Band Leader & vocalist
Cristine Barbosa- Lead Vocalist
Tomas Bello- Lead Vocalist
Jose Espino- Congas
Gonzalo Teppa- Bass
Victor Mestas- Piano & Keyboards
Howard Hernandez- Timbal
Dennis Jaramillo- Bongo & Compana
Dawn Kramer- Trumpet
Roberto Paredes- Trombone
Adam Bartczack- Trombone

Francisco Mejías, longtime friend of KUVO, stopped by The Morning Set to talk about his legacy and the future of Conjunto Colores.

Tune in to The Morning Set, weekdays from 7 – 10 a.m. on KUVO JAZZ 89.3FM, on the stream, or on the KUVO App.

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Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Conjunto Colores