About
Tropical Mood of St. Louis is a local band originally conceived by cellist and singer Patricia Ruiloba Gitto with keyboard and composer Héctor Molina.
The band has performed in a variety of venues from outdoor festivals to Jazz clubs with a broad spectrum of Latin music from covers to original tunes by Héctor Molina. The different styles include Latin Jazz, Bossa Nova, Boleros, Soft Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Bachata, Cha Cha, Latin pop-rock, Ballads, and glimpses of Reggae.
Meet the Band
Patricia Ruiloba Gitto
Band Leader , Vocals & Cello
Patricia Ruiloba Gitto, vocals and cello. Born in Panama City, Rep. of Panama, Patricia is an active cello player in multiple ensembles, and had been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama. With a Masters of Music in Cello Performance from Texas State University-San Marcos, she is faculty at the Community Music School of Webster University since 2012, and she has been appointed as cello faculty in their Suzuki Program since Fall 2022. As she has been teaching Suzuki cello instruction in her private studio since 2013, she is constantly pursuing training in the Suzuki Method. In addition, she started to use her talents as a vocalist and as a cellist in various Latin groups. Since 2018, she founded Renacer Latino Orchestra, LLC, and leads the Latin Jazz group Tropical Mood of St. Louis. She specializes as a singer in Latin jazz, Bossa Nova, Boleros, Cumbias, Bachata, Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha, Reggaeton, Latin Rock, and more. She is an active member of the Suzuki Association of Americas, and the Musicians’ Association of St. Louis (AFM Local 2-197).
Steve Friox
Steve Frioux was born in 1965 and began playing trombone at the age of 10 in the heart of Cajun Country - New Iberia, LA. In 1990 he won an audition to perform as a professional musician with the USAF Band of Mid-America at Scott AFB, IL and was prominently featured and recorded as principal trombonist with the Concert Band, lead/solo trombonist with the Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble and Starlifter Rock Band.
While performing with the USAFE Jazz Ambassadors, as lead trombone and soloist, he toured Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland (Jazz/Band Fest), Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, UK, Ireland (Cork Jazz Fest), Azores, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Croatia and Azerbaijan (Baku Jazz Fest).
Juan Quesada
Piano
Juan was born in Ciudad de Manzanillo, Cuba, where he completed most of his studies in elementary school until he earned his high school diploma in 1984. At 12, his grandfather taught him the first chords in the guitar until his aunt gave him a guitar as a gift. He was self taught in playing his guitar using magazines that included songs with chords for guitar. In high school, he started playing in festivals accompanying other artists and as member of other traditional cuban musician groups.
After completing his required military service, he started his studies in Music Education at the Jose Varona University in Habana, where he started for the first time taking lessons in solfège, piano, guitar and sang in the university choir. He also became a member of the cuban musical group Son Imagen, in which he was an active performer of tropical music in all Habana city and other provinces nearby.
After he completed his university studies in 1991, he worked at another university called CUJAE in the Art department teaching music and as a teacher advisor to the active artists who participated in music festivals and other popular events. In this school, he was a founder of a music group composed of teachers and students. He continued performing in all Habana and other provinces in schools, night clubs, and accompanying one of the most iconic comedians in Cuba, Ulises Toirad.
At the end of 1996, he emigrated to the United States, where he established in St. Louis, MO. In 1998, he became a member of El Caribe Tropical Orchestra, playing tropical music as salsa, merengue, cumbia, among other musical genres. Other groups that he has been an active member include Solución Latina, Latin Touch, Clave Sol, Son Montuno, and Tropical Mood of St. Louis, with whom he plays other instruments as bass, piano and latin percussion.
Hector Molina
Piano and Singer
Héctor was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His musical heritage stems from his father who was an accomplished cuatrista (he played the Cuatro, a ten-string musical instrument from Puerto Rico). His grandfather was a plenero from the city of Mayagüez. He took formal guitar and accordion classes in the Magdiel L. Espiet Academy of Music. Later Hector dedicated his interest to the piano, with a special emphasis on Latin music. While in Puerto Rico he played with the Magdiel L. Espiet Accordion Orchestra, participated in a local salsa orchestra and organize a small band of Nueva Trova music. Upon entering college he paused his musical activities to dedicate himself to other academic endeavors. After completing a Doctorate in Medicine and his medical residency in Puerto Rico, he went to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, and is now an Associate Professor in Medicine, Pathology and Immunology. In St. Louis Hector resumed his musical studies with different teachers including the locally renown jazz pianist Carol Beth True. He has played with several local Latin bands including Latin Touch, Caribe Tropical, Solución Latina, Nitro Jazz Orchestra, Son Montuno, Renacer Latino, Orquesta Chévere, the Boogaloo Crew and Tropical Mood. He has shared the stage with several renown jazz musicians including trumpet player Dawn Weber, trumpet player Larry Holmes, jazz vocalist Denise Thimes and bass player David Troncoso He participated as an invited recording pianist in the Amanecer Latino tune from the Dawn Weber and Friends Jazz Album. He also organized a salsa/Latin jazz group called SLSon that played for about 10 years in St. Louis. Héctor is a musical composer with more than 50 compositions, a musical arranger and a poet. He has co-published a book of poems called “Camándulas y Peronías”, and some of his poems have been included in the Hippocrene, a Washington University literary magazine.
Tung
Bass
Tung is a bassist versed in many genres, including rock, pop, jazz, metal, Latin jazz, R&B, and Motown, in addition to Latin rhythm styles.
Born in Wisconsin, Tung's family moved to St. Louis when still very young. He began learning guitar and clarinet as an elementary school student, and continued music study in high school and university, where he played in band, orchestra, and jazz bands on saxophone. He eventually earned a Jazz Pedagogy certification at Truman University.
Tung has played bass, contrabass guitar, frassi (12-string full-range instrument), double (upright) bass, and guitar in a number of bands, including Clave Sol, Jimmy and the Faceplants, Genesis Jazz Project big band, Radio Lab, nFuZr, Oday Project, The Other People, Ziusudra, Sky Bop Fly, Mugley's Other, Stormcock, Dreamhouse, Baby Talk, Kingvegas, and Parkway Faculty & Friends Big Band.
In addition to the members of Tropical Mood, Tung has shared the stage with a number of notable musicians including Baba Mike Nelson, Bunky Green, Dave Dickey, David Browning, Dawn Weber, Eliane Amherd, Farshid Etniko, Jerry Greene, Kelly King, Ken Kehner, Kevin Gianino, Michael Lawrence, Mike Metheny, Nick Brignola, Pete Christlieb, Patricia Gitto, Phil Gomez, Rob Garland, Rob Silverman, Ron Carr, Ron Goff, Tony Viviano, and Willie Thomas.
Thor Anderson
Congas
Thor Anderson is a musician and teacher specializing in Afro Cuban percussion. He has studied extensively in Havana, Cuba at the National School of Art and individually with renowned Cuban players and instructors including Roberto Vizcaino, José Eladio Amat, and José Luis "Changuito" Quintana. Anderson is well known around St. Louis, Missouri for his work with the groups El Caribe Tropical, Clave Sol, Orquesta Son Montuno, Orquesta Chevere, Tropical Mood and others. Anderson teaches privately and has conducted workshops at the Folk School of St. Louis, University of Missouri in St. Louis, Washington University, Webster University, and Millikin University.
Randy Gindler
Drum Set
Randy Gindler is a middle school music teacher and band director. He's also a professional orchestral musician in the St. Louis area and has performed with numerous ensembles including The St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, The Gateway Festival Orchestra of St. Louis, and The Alton Symphony. Randy also works as a freelance musician in various orchestral and jazz ensembles in the St. Louis area.
