A blazing, technically flawless trumpeter from Cuba, Arturo Sandoval has been dazzling audiences all over the world with his supercharged tone and bop-flavored flurries way up in the trumpet's highest register. In slower numbers, he sports a golden, mellow tone on the flugelhorn, marked with a sure, subtle sense of swing. Apparently he is... [+] Read More

Yes No

The son of the noted musician Bebo Valdes, Chucho began playing piano when he was three and by the time he was 16 he was leading his own group. In 1960 his father defected from Cuba but Chucho stayed behind. In 1967, he formed the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna and, in 1973, he founded Irakere, the top Cuban jazz orchestra; among its original... [+] Read More

Yes No

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

Yes No

One of the most important figures to emerge from Afro-Cuban jazz in the '90s, Gonzalo Rubalcaba is an extraordinarily versatile pianist able to blend disparate strands of Cuban and American jazz tradition into a fresh, modern whole. Born into a musical family in Havana on May 27, 1963, Rubalcaba began studying classical piano at age eight,... [+] Read More

Yes No

Jerry Gonzalez has taken a global view of jazz in creating his unique brand of improvised music. While his trumpet and flügelhorn reflect the influence of Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, his personal cultural roots have given him a natural understanding of Afro-Cuban rhythms. As he explained to The Detroit News, "I am bilingual -- I speak... [+] Read More

Yes No

The Brazilian-born Paulinho Da Costa, an endlessly adaptable percussionist with a knack for hitting precisely the right isolated beat at the right time, became one of the most in-demand sidemen in Los Angeles' busy recording studios in the late '70s and early '80s. He started playing his instruments at age seven, eventually accumulating over 200... [+] Read More

Yes No

Pete Escovedo has been a major force in Latin music since the late 1960's, and his versatility has resulted in success in several areas of music, from Latin jazz and salsa to rock and Latin pop. Growing up in Oakland, Escovedo was surrounded by music throughout his childhood. His father sang with some Latin big bands. Pete played the saxophone... [+] Read More

Yes No

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

Yes No

Inspired by his South Bronx Afro-Cuban roots, percussionist Ray Mantilla rose to prominence in the early '70s, performing with a host of prestigious bands, and eventually led his own band in the '80s, the Ray Mantilla Space Station. All this time Mantilla remained active and continued his prolific streak into the 2000s.

Born in 1934,... [+] Read More

Yes No

Multi-instrumentalist Tito Rodriguez played an important role in New York's thriving Latin dance scene of the 1950s and '60s. His expressive playing was an important factor in the success of his brother Johnny Rodriguez's band. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rodriguez displayed his talents at a very young age. Accomplished on a variety of... [+] Read More

Yes No