These musicians include George Benson, Felipe Cabrera, Steve Coleman, Roy Hargrove, Giovanni Hidalgo, Wynton Marsalis, Dafnis Prieto, Orlando Sanchez, Yosvany Terry, and Chucho Valdés.
[3] Born in Oakland, California, guitarist Pablo "Mezcla" Menéndez is the son of blues and jazz singer Barbara Dane.
As a resident of Cuba since 1966, he has worked with the Nueva Trova movement (Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés), the jazz world (Gonzalo Rubalcaba), and Afro-rock group Síntesis (with Carlos and Ele Alfonso).
[citation needed] Among the protesters was guitarist Carlos Santana, who stated in an interview with the San Francisco Examiner that Mezcla was his favorite band from Cuba.
In January 2009 he was invited to perform with Larry Coryell and John Stowell at the Jazz Guitar Summit in Olympia, Washington.