With Bongo Logic, the Proof Is in the Playing : Music: The Afro-Cuban group, due in Orange County tonight, adds jazz and classical influences to the <i> charanga </i> blend.

When Bongo Logic arrived in New York last June to perform at the International Festival of the Arts, the Los Angeles-based Afro-Cuban group was greeted by the sound of its music on the radio and this description in Village Voice:

“A curious compilation of jazz and Latin session dudes, two-thirds gringo to boot, Bongo Logic is a surprisingly winning take on the classic Cuban charanga groove. Their new Rhythm Safari release, along with an anthology disc on the same label, is evidence of a new wave of L.A. tropical. A Santa Ana wind is sometimes needed to air out Nueva York’s often stale salsa sameness.”

According to drummer and percussionist Brett Gollin, the band members weren’t sure what to expect in New York. “New York audiences know Latin music,” he said, “and we weren’t sure how they would respond to our innovations.” But the enthusiastic reception was a boost the group needed to “really smoke ‘em.”

The group opened for the Brazilian drum band Olodum before a packed house at S.O.B. in Manhattan. One critic said it stole the show from the headliner, which had played on Paul Simon’s “Rhythm of the Saints” album.

Tonight, Bongo Logic brings its music to Orange County for two performances at the San Juan Capistrano Regional Library.

The group plays charanga , a sound that has its roots in early Cuban dance orchestras that used musical forms and instruments (violin and five-key wooden flute) brought to Cuba by French settlers in the 1800s. Both the mambo and the cha-cha evolved from charanga , which has since incorporated African rhythms and instruments that include timbales, congas and guiro (a percussion instrument made out of a gourd). Bongo Logic takes the evolutionary process a step further, adding jazz, classical and funk elements to the polyrhythmic charanga sound, with violin and flute playing prominent roles.

“Most people think of violins as very melodic and sweet. In charanga, they are part of the rhythm section and the flute is like the lead guitar in a rock band,” Gollin said.

He and violinist Harry Scorzo write most of the group’s songs, including “Despierta!,” the title track for its latest album. The song, whose title translates as “Wake Up!,” combines songo , a new-wave method of Cuban drumming, with a classical rondo. With the varied backgrounds of the group’s members, not hard to understand how such a combination became its trademark.

Gollin, 39, grew up in Los Angeles listening to rock ‘n’ roll, blues and jazz; Scorzo, who has performed with Gollin since the early 1980s, has musical roots that extend deep into classical music.

“I was swayed by the sounds of my generation, and that’s all I wanted to play,” Gollin said. He once recorded with Stephen Stills and made the rounds of the L.A. club scene with various rock bands. But when he heard salsa and charanga music for the first time in the late 1970s, he was hooked. “For a drummer, this music is heaven,” he said. “Rhythmically, it is very challenging.” After years of playing rock ‘n’ roll, Gollin decided he wanted to play tipico --”that means playing Cuban music according to exact traditions.”

Gollin traveled frequently to Cuba and Latin America for firsthand exposure and gained a solid grounding in charanga traditions. “Then I saw that charanga never stopped evolving in Cuba and musicians there were incorporating elements of funk and jazz,” Gollin said. “I realized that I could still play this music and draw on my musical past.”

According to Gollin, Cuban music is re-emerging after a period of relative obscurity. “But it’s always been around in one form or another, and people recognize it once they hear it. The song “Louie, Louie” is based on the classic Cuban cha-cha beat,” said Gollin, who worked as a technical adviser to “The Mambo Kings” and even had a bit part in the film about a group of Cuban immigrant musicians in 1950s New York.

As for Scorzo, “There was a time when I couldn’t go a day without hearing Stravinsky,” he said. “At the same time, I was always interested in jazz.”

Scorzo, who moved to Los Angeles from Chicago to attend the now-defunct Immaculate Heart Conservatory, eventually branched into jazz, pop and charanga . He still performs and records with the likes of Paula Abdul, Prince and Paul McCartney, but he enjoys the musical challenge offered by Bongo Logic’s style. “The rhythmic systems and harmony are much more interesting than Top 40, where the palette is very limited,” he said.

Art Webb, who plays flute with Bongo Logic, grew up playing jazz in Philadelphia and worked as a session player for Latin jazz bands in New York. He has recorded with Chick Corea, Tito Puente, Woody Shaw and Ray Barretto. At tonight’s performance, Dick Mitchell, who has recorded with Cal Tjader, Natalie Cole and Clare Fischer, will substitute for Webb.

Mitch (Mitchito) Sanchez, who was born in New Jersey to Cuban parents, will sit in for Juanito Vasquez, Bongo Logic’s regular conga player and the group’s only native Cuban. Guillermo Guzman, who grew up in Bogota, Colombia, and has performed and recorded with Justo Almario and Alex Acuna, will play bass. Otmaro Ruiz, a native Venezuelan who has also performed with Acuna, will play keyboards. Bongo Logic performs at tonight at 7 and 9 in the courtyard at San Juan Capistrano Regional Library, 31495 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano. Seating is limited. Donation: $2. (714) 493-3984.