The sweet, full tone and clear, assertive attack of Bill Ortiz has made him one of the most in-demand trumpet players of the Bay Area music scene for the past four decades.

As a consummate trumpet player, Bill has spent many years playing music with some of the top artists from around the globe. In addition to becoming a member of the Santana Band in 2000, Bill’s performing/recording credits include work with such diverse and dynamic artists as Tito Puente, Destiny’s Child, Tony Toni Tone, Cachao, Herbie Hancock, Don Cherry, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Boz Scaggs, Eagle Eye Cherry, Wayne Shorter, Ravi Coltrane, Chick Corea, The Dramatics, En Vogue, Buddy Guy, Lauryn Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Pete Escovedo and Sheila E, Angelique Kidjo, Beyonce’ Knowles, John McLaughlin, Flora Purim And Airto, Todd Rundgren, Bennie Maupin, Souls Of Mischief, TLC, Cecil Taylor, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Steve Winwood, and more.

As a member of Santana, Bill has appeared on 7 CDs and 5 Blu- ray/DVDs with the band, including his performances on the Grammy Award winning singles “SMOOTH” and “THE GAME OF LOVE.” In addition, he has been very active as an on-call studio musician, playing various genres of music including Hip-Hop, Latin, R&B, African music, and jazz.

Born in San Francisco, California, Ortiz began his journey with trumpet at age 10. While in school he held the first trumpet chair in the San
Francisco All-City Band, and by his mid-teens was playing at local dances and clubs with a number of R&B and jazz groups, giving him an early/varied start to his professional career. His horizons were broadened further during his college years with his study and precipitation in electronic and Latin music.

Shortly after school, he joined the highly acclaimed Orchestra Batachanga, an afrocuban group under the direction of percussionist/musicologist John Santos. This led to important tenures with Pete Escovedo, John Santos’ Machete Ensemble, and other leading Latin bands in the Bay Area, including performances with such latin music legends as Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Carlos “Patato” Valdez and Chucho Valdez.

It was during these formative years that Bill began to establish himself as a leading figure on the San Francisco scene, known for his creative solos and strong lead performances. This period included playing with Babatunde Lea’s latin jazz group, as well as a brief stint with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim with performances at the Monterey and Concord Jazz Festivals. It was also around this time that Bill played numerous times with Tito Puente on his west coast dates, as well as playing on four recordings with him.

From here Ortiz began a long and artistically rewarding tenure with Peter Apfelbaum and “The Hieroglyphics Ensemble.” This band recorded 2 albums for Antilles/Polygram Records and won Downbeats Critics Poll Award for “Big Band Deserving Wider Recognition.” The Hieroglyphics Ensemble also backed up the legendary jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, recording an album with him on A&M as well as performing with him at various festivals and club appearances.

Toward the end of his stay with Apfelbaum’s band, Ortiz began working with R&B/Hip-Hop group Tony Toni Tone– both as a touring band member and featured soloist. He performed on five releases from the multi-platinum selling group, as well as touring the US, Canada andEurope. In addition, Bill performed with Tony Toni Tone on Janet Jackson’s “Alive” tour. With Tony Toni Tone, Bill appeared on such TV shows as “Late Night
With David Letterman”,  “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “Late Night with Conan O’Brian”, “Showtime At The Apollo” and others. This exposure led to Ortiz recording with En Vogue, Souls of Mischief, Sheila E, TLC and Johnny “Guitar” Watson, among others.

Following his stay with Tony Toni Tone, Bill Ortiz toured and recorded with the legendary Boz Scaggs, and began a long and fruitful association with highly acclaimed jazz vocalist Lavay Smith (with whom he still works), recording two albums and touring the US and Europe with the band.

In 1999, Ortiz recorded on the Carlos Santana’s smash single “Smooth”, joining his touring band in 2000. His performances as band member and featured soloist took him around the world- from Europe to Japan, China, South and Central America, Australia, and South East Asia. Highlights with the band include a tour with music giants Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, both joining the group on the “Emissaries of Peace” tour.

In addition to working with Hancock and Shorter while touring with Santana, Bill also performed with such artists as Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Taj Mahal, Eagle Eye Cherry, and Angelique Kidjo, Anthony Hamilton and Michelle Branch. Other notable performances include playing at Super Bowl XXXVII, The Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in 2002, and numerous appearances at Montreux Jazz Festival.

Besides his sideman work, Ortiz is a bandleader/solo artist, including being featured at the North Beach Jazz Festival for the “75th Annual Tribute to Miles Davis.” Joining Bill were former Miles Davis alum Benny Maupin and master jazz vibist Bobby Hutcherson. Bill also recently presented a “New Perspectives of The Music of James Brown” performance at The California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, California.

In 2009, Bill Ortiz released his debut solo album “From Where I Stand,” which charted on Billboard and garnered critical acclaim in the USA and around the world, and his 2012 follow up album “Highest Wish” blended hard hitting hip hop and soulful singing with his signature incendiary and emotionally charged trumpet playing. Joining him on this release are such conscious minded hip hop artists as Casual, The Grouch, and Zumbi from the group Zion I, as well as Santana vocalist Tony Lindsey, and the great singer Linda Tillery– featuring her spoken word performance of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Nobel Peace Prize speech.

Following his 16 year run with the Santana band, Bill has been an active freelance artist, including being a featured soloist on Cindy Blackman-Santana’s solo album entitled “Give The Drummer Some.” As a member of Anthony Paule’s Soul Orchestra, Bill has had the pleasure of playing at major festivals in the US and Europe. In 2022, Bill has recorded a new album which in addition to showcasing Bill’s personal musical voice as a soloist, band leader and producer, enlists the talents of such great artists as Azar Lawrence, Dennis Chambers, Brian Jackson, John Santos, Marcus Shelby and many other artists. Bill also continues to be a contributor as band member and arranger for the renowned Glide Memorial Church, founded by the iconic Reverend Cicil Williams. Glide is a nationally recognized center for social justicecreating pathways out of poverty and crisis, transforming peoples lives with counseling, job training/creation housing and aid for the homeless. Every year Glide raises millions of dollars for these efforts.

Bill spends a good amount of his time and energy getting involved in music education, both as a clinician and private instructor. He enjoys mentoring younger musicians and spreading the experiences and diversity of his musical background.