Bio
Leo Nava is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator born and raised in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, CA. The diversity of his neighborhood and its proximity to the border with Mexico would have a profound influence on his music and way of seeing the world. His love of music began in his tia’s backyard where he was entranced by the sounds of a mariachi band christening her new home. Shortly after that encounter, Leo was placed in music lessons by his parents and began playing guitar at the age of 8, first learning just simple folk and rock songs. By the time he graduated high school, he had mastered blues and rock & roll guitar and was looking to broaden his musical knowledge.
In 2011 he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and quickly found his way into the California Jazz Conservatory. There he was able to study with many of the top jazz players and educators in the bay area. He majored in Jazz Studies with a focus on guitar but also picked up knowledge of the bass, piano and drums along the way. His senior thesis traced the roots of hip-hop back to jazz and his senior recital played with these ideas, combining advanced harmonic and melodic techniques with in-the-pocket Hip-Hop grooves.
In late 2017, Leo co-founded Louda y Los Bad Hombres alongside lead vocalist Laura Camacho. With Louda y Los Bad Hombres, Leo has come full circle by blending his Southern California Chicano roots with his love of jazz and improvisation. As the musical director, Leo helps the band navigate its way through a multitude of genres including, son, salsa, cumbia, boleros, soul, & even a little hip-hop. Just as the seemingly arbitrary border confused him as a young boy, so too do borders in music, and Leo takes great joy in finding ways to blend musical genres to create something new and fresh. Louda y Los Bad Hombres has released 3 EP’s and performed at many local festivals and venues throughout California.
Leo is not only passionate about writing and performing music, but he is also an enthusiastic educator as well. Since 2016, he has been teaching music privately in the San Francisco Bay Area. While his main instrument is guitar, he also teaches piano, bass, ukulele and the drum set. Leo’s teaching style is patient and friendly. From beginner students to advanced students learning jazz, Leo connects with his students and instills a passion for music and learning. His students have been very successful, as some have been accepted into the San Francisco Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
In 2022, Leo entered the graduate music program at San Francisco State University, where he hopes to further his knowledge of the guitar and Afro-Cuban music, and to continue to grow as a musician and educator.