One thing that separates a good musician from a great one is the ability to touch listeners with an original sound. This is generally rooted in not only their skilled musicianship but stems from their spirit and ability to welcome you at the door. The tone of a beautifully played instrument comes with hours of practice and discipline. However, the genesis of that talent is born from a deeper region of the soul. It touches you and it can make you move. It can make you sing, even cry.
That touch is what came out of saxophonist Henry Estrada. It was also part DNA mixed with a profound love for jazz. As a founding member of the legendary Estrada Brothers, Henry Estrada carved out his place in the world of Latin music and has now taken that spirit and touch to a place where music greats are forever loved and remembered.
Henry Ortiz Estrada was born on July 25, 1936, in Ventura and passed on May 10, 2020, in Camarillo. Henry was raised and attended school in Oxnard with his eight brothers and two sisters. His parents, Luis and Jesusita, migrated from Chihuahua, Mexico, to raise their growing family in fertile west Ventura County. His father was an accomplished professional violinist leading his own orchestra, providing the classical music foundation that led his sons to seed decades of the best music this region of California has ever produced.