Frank Ayala

Mistura Fina was founded by percussionist Frank Ayala in 2000. Based in Denver, Colorado, the group regularly performs at festivals, nightclubs, special events, and other venues. It’s critically acclaimed recording, “A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That”, represents Mistura Fina’s various musical influences.

Mistura Fina loosely translated from Portuguese means “A Fine Mixture”. In the music of Mistura Fina you will hear a fine mixture of South American musical styles. Ayala explains, “One of the great things about jazz today is musicians from around the world continue to elaborate their styles and traditions to create an always growing, never-ending musical form.”

Ayala has dug deep to discover arrangements of traditional songs that fit into their unique latin-jazz format. Listeners will often approach the band to let them know that a particular song has triggered a memory from their homeland, or an arrangement has special meaning from their childhood or another time in their life.

“If we were to describe our music, there’s really one word that comes to mind: diversity,” says Ayala. “Every song we perform is linked to the passion of the traditions and cultures of people from around the world. Sometimes the passion is reflected when people dance to our music, and other times it is seen in the tears of a listener created by a strong emotion of a beautiful melody.”