Avizo is a charting, Grammy-nominated Tejano band from Houston, Texas. They are locally known as “Houston’s Powerhouse.” The band was formed by trumpeter Robert Dorantes in Houston in 1984. His purpose was a kind of protest against Tejano bands turning away from a traditional horn-based sound to one generated electronically by keyboards.
But Avizo are not anti-keyboards; the group’s front line includes them, as well as accordion. Though they originally performed Top 40 Latin and pop covers, their enormous sound and energy prompted a local DJ to give them their nickname and inspired a move toward an exclusive Tejano sound.
Even when covering radio hits, the band never strayed from its Tejano roots. As they evolved, they gave up pop and added conjunto, cumbia, and salsa to the mix, while adding R&B later.
Their 2005 album, The Power of Friends, scored big at regional radio, and their reputation — furthered by the band’s touring of the American Southwest — earned them a Grammy nomination in 2006 and five Tejano nominations. They have also been nominated for each subsequent song release.
While touring regionally all year round, Avizo still releases an album roughly every two years on their own Powerhouse label. Their 2011 date, Mas Amigos, placed well inside the Top 100 on the Top Latin Albums chart. In 2016, Reflejos was released as a collaboration between Avizo and fellow tejano legend Jimmy Edward (ex-Latin Breed). Q Majesty followed in 2017.