El Tren
The Sound Room
3022 Broadway Ave, Oakland
April 4, 2026
A woman three people in front of me bought the second to last slice of cheesecake that was on display in the glass dessert case. Lowkey, I was a bit anxious as the two other people behind her placed their orders.
Fortunately, neither of them ordered it, so I was relieved as I approached the counter in the front lobby of this former light industrial space. Sound Room Co-owner Karen Van Leuven greeted me from behind the register.
Even though I only wanted one slice, I asked, “Is that the last slice of cheesecake?”
Van Leuven laughed at the silly question. Of course she had three more cakes hidden from public view.
After placing my food and drink order, she plated the cheesecake for me. An anxious man several people behind me in line asked aloud, “Is that the last slice of cheesecake?”
Unlike the long line for food in the restaurant, there was no line to enter the concert hall.
Abstract artwork adorned the brick walls, and the crowd was nearing max capacity in this relatively small venue.
My plus one was already seated at our table to the right of the stage, and she had snagged the best seats for us (there aren’t really any bad seats at the Sound Room).
It was a challenge not eating the cheesecake while waiting for dinner, but we patiently sipped our beverages until the eggplant omelette that we would share arrived. The entrée, which included beans and pickled daikon and carrots was simultaneously Filipino, Mexican, and Vietnamese. It was hella Oakland, and hella yummy.
By the time the show started, the room was full. Van Leuven, who has been helping curate live jazz events in the East Bay for 35 years, took the stage to welcome the audience and announce the main attraction of the evening: El Tren, a Latin jazz tribute to pop music from the 20th century.
Saúl Sierra moved to the Bay Area after graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1999. Ever since, the bassist has been a member of some of the top Latin bands in the region.
Native San Franciscan Marco Diaz is an accomplished pianist who also performs with Sierra in the John Santos Quintet/Sextet and Bobi Céspedes’ band.
Joining these two heavyweights was Laura Bravo on vocals, and percussionists Julio Pérez, Emilio Davalos, and Ahkeel Mestayer.
El Tren led off with Daniel Caesar’s “Best Part.” The piece started as a slightly-groovier, Cuban-ish version of the original song before turning into a full blown mambo with the entire band bellowing “Lo mejor de mi vida!”
Next up was a soft and easy rendition of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt that had enough cowbell to satisfy Christopher Walken.
Bongocero Perez joined Mestayer on conga for the next piece, a playful bomba version of “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole. Mestayer took a robust solo.
Lennon-McCartney’s “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” followed. Sierra took a bass solo on this one. After a tempo change, Davalos soloed on cajon throughout a frenetic ending.
Pérez switched to a Puerto Rican guiro and Davalos took over on bongo for a bachata Bee Gees song. “How Deep is Your Love” highlighted Bravo’s vocals on top of a profoundly deep pocket.
Davalos switched to a cuban guiro for “La Vida en Rosa,” the sextet’s son cubano take on the Édith Piaf classic. This was another opportunity for Bravo to flex before Diaz and Pérez took solos.
An excellent timba arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lover” closed out the first set on a high note.
After a lengthy break, El Tren returned to the stage with a Caribbean-infused “Twelfth Street Rag,” a song by Euday “Raggedy Ed” Bowman that is more than 100 years old. Diaz really got to shine during the verses here, but Sierra, Pérez, Mestayer, and Davalos all took solos before the group broke out into a full blown mambo.
The band switched gears for a danzón version of Glen Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade,” which featured Sierra.
Sierra’s wife and daughter helped him translate the lyrics of the Michael Jackson hit, “Human Nature” to Spanish. This piece did not take too long to burst out into a mambo, with Mestayer soloing.
Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” reimagined as bachata came next. Pérez played the Puerto Rican guiro, Mestayer hopped on the bongo, and Davalos rocked the congas.
Then the ensemble played an Afro-Cubanized version of “Sweetest Taboo” by Sade. After a smooth section featuring Bravo, Diaz soloed over an uptempo vamp.
The penultimate piece was a Pérez Prado two-for-one deal. The group started off playing Prado's mellow “Patricia,” but then switched to double time for “Qué Rico en Mambo,” which featured a bongo solo by Pérez.
They closed out the night with an uptempo rendition of Bill Withers’ “Sólo Tú y Yo” that earned a standing ovation from the packed house.
All in all, it was an incredible display of musicianship in an intimate setting and a really fun time. And yes, the cheesecake was wonderful.
