Puerto Rican drummer and percussionist Bobby Sanabria has long been part of New York's vibrant Latin-jazz club scene. The multi-talented Sanabria grew up in the tough South Bronx. While attending a Tito Puente concert when he was 17, he slipped backstage and asked the legendary percussionist if he could sit in. He did, and this experience... [+] Read More

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A brilliant pianist who has combined the bebop tradition with his Panamanian heritage, African elements, and a willingness to take chances, Danilo Perez's improvisations are fascinating to watch develop. In concert, he has been known to have his quartet improvising in four different time signatures simultaneously with surprisingly coherent... [+] Read More

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David Sanchez took up the conga when he was eight and started playing tenor at age 12. He graduated from a performing arts high school in 1986, spent a year studying psychology, and then moved to New York City in 1988, having decided to become a musician. Sanchez attended Rutgers University, studying with Kenny Barron, Ted Dunbar, and John... [+] Read More

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A driving force behind the rise of the MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) sound, singer/composer Edú Lobo was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943; at 18 he formed his first trio with Dori Caymmi and the great Marcus Valle, and in 1962 forged a long-term writing partnership with renowned lyricist Vinicius de Moraes. Drawing influence from bossa nova... [+] Read More

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A highly emotive approach to Latin music has led to Puerto Rico-born and Bronx, New York-raised India (born Linda Viera Caballero) being dubbed, "The Princess of Salsa." Her 1994 album, Dicen Que Soy, spent months on the Latin charts. According to Jazz Times, "[India] belts, she growls, she croons. She's a huge talent." Although her 1989 debut... [+] Read More

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Deftly fusing her Latin heritage -- her father was a Mexican composer and her mother an Argentinean singer and tango dancer -- with a love and in-depth knowledge of jazz, Mili Bermejo had been performing for some time before her first release, 1992's Ay Amor! Born in Buenos Aires and raised in Mexico City, Bermejo first studied composition at... [+] Read More

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A Mongo Santamaria concert is a mesmerizing spectacle for both eyes and ears, and even in his seventies, this seemingly ageless Cuban percussionist/bandleader could energize packed behemoth arenas such as the Hollywood Bowl. A master conguero, Santamaria at his best creates an incantatory spell rooted in Cuban religious rituals, quietly seating... [+] Read More

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While Ray Barretto's congas have graced more recording sessions than virtually any other conguero of his time, he has also led some refreshingly progressive Latin jazz bands over the decades. His records often have a more tense, more adventurously eclectic edge than those of most conventional salsa groups, unafraid to use electronics and novel... [+] Read More

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