Born: Jul 13, 1935 in Oakland, California. Genre: Jazz; Styles: Fusion/Jazz Rock, Salsa, Latin, Rock, Afro-Cuban/Latin Jazz. Pete Escovedo has been a major force in Latin music since the late 1960's, and his versatility has resulted in success in several areas of music, from Latin jazz and salsa to rock and Latin pop. Growing up in Oakland, Escovedo was surrounded by music throughout his childhood. His father sang with some Latin big bands. Pete played the saxophone in high school and soon switched to vibes.