Pedrito Martinez
Yoruba Soy
Please note that this concert now begins at 7:30 PM.
Performers
Pedrito Martinez, Percussion and Lead Vocals
Isaac Delgado Jr., Keyboard and Vocals
Sebastian Natal, Electric Bass and Vocals
Manuel Marquez, Percussion and Vocals
Xito Lovell, Trombone and Vocals
with Special Guest
Alfredo Rodriguez, Piano
Amma Whatt Agyapon, Vocals
Amma McKen, Vocals
Jadele McPherson, Vocals
Melvis Santa, Vocals
Juan Luis Fuentes, Bata
Raul Rios, Trumpet
Mario Castro, Saxophone
Alexander La Rosa Perez, Dancer
Event Duration
The concert will last approximately two hours with no intermission.Bios
Pedrito Martinez
Born in Cuba, Pedrito Martinez began his musical career with a foundation in rumba and Afro-Cuban Yoruba traditions. Since settling in New York City in 1998, he has recorded or performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Paquito D’Rivera, Chucho Valdés, Bruce Springsteen, Rubén Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Matthews, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, and Sting, contributing to more than 75 albums.
A consummate master of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and the batá drum, Martinez is also the world’s first-call rumbero. He has contributed to or appeared in several films and television series, including Calle 54, Chico and Rita, Boardwalk Empire, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Martinez was a founding member of the highly successful Afro-Cuban / Afro-Beat band Yerba Buena, with which he recorded two albums and toured the world in the mid- to late-1990s. His career as a leader began in 2005 with the formation of the the Pedrito Martinez Group. The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 2013, earning a Grammy nomination, and honors from NPR and The Boston Globe as one of the best albums of the year. A follow-up album, Habana Dreams, was released three years later, and included performances by Rubén Blades, Isaac Delgado, Wynton Marsalis, Angélique Kidjo.
In 2019, Martinez and Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez released a duo album—Duologue—to critical acclaim. Later that year, Martinez and Eric Clapton recorded a newly arranged version of Clapton’s “My Father’s Eyes,” which was released on Martinez’s album Acertijos (Riddles). Other guests appearing on the album included Gilberto Santa Rosa and Isaac Delgado. Acertijos was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the Best Contemporary Tropical Album category.
More recently, Martinez recorded two singles and performed with superstar Camila Cabello, after being named Jazz Percussionist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Pedrito Martinez uses Latin Percussion, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, DW Drums, Remo drumheads, and Earthworks microphones.
Isaac Delgado Jr.
Isaac Delgado Jr. was born in Cuba to a family of music lovers. He studied at the National School of Arts in Cuba (ENA), graduated in 2003, and was immediately invited to start teaching piano. The following year, he toured as pianist for the Isaac Delgado Orchestra. He has since appeared in festivals around the world and shared the stage with dozens of acclaimed artists. Delgado studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and also attended Berklee Valencia in its inaugural year. In 2018, he joined Pedrito Martinez as a full-time member of his group.
Sebastian Natal
Born in Uruguay, Sebastian Natal is a multi-instrumentalist, seasoned performer, and music producer. He is proficient in piano, bass, percussion, trumpet, trombone, and vocals across a range of genres, including salsa, samba, tango, Afro-Peruvian music, Cuban timba, Latin jazz, candombe, Argentine folk, and son. Natal has toured the world, playing alongside such artists as Eric Clapton, Conrad Herwig, and Sonora Borinquen. He gained substantial commercial success, producing albums with Grammy-winner Willy Torres.
Manuel Marquez
Manuel Marquez is a Grammy-nominated percussionist with a swiftly growing career in New York City. He was born and raised in Venezuela, where he began his musical training at the age of four. Marquez is especially known for his expertise on the timbales, tumbadoras, bongos, drum kit, and traditional Venezuelan instruments. Thanks to a reputation for creativity, precision, and excellence, Marquez has had the honor to record and perform with a variety of world-famous artists.
Xito Lovell
Born in Panama, Xito Lovell is a trombonist, composer, performer, and singer based in New York City. In the past few years, he has performed at the Panama Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, American Folk Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Afro-Latino Festival (NYC), and Atlas Golden Fest (Panama), among many others. In 2013, he received a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. Throughout his career, the Panama-native has had the opportunity to share stages and collaborate with several world-renowned artists.
Alfredo Rodriguez
Grammy-nominee Alfredo Rodriguez finds inspiration in other legendary jazz pianists, including Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk, and Art Tatum. Schooled in the rigorous classical conservatories of Havana, Rodriguez’s riveting artistry is informed as much by J. S. Bach and Stravinsky as it is by his Cuban and jazz roots. Discovered at the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival by Quincy Jones, Rodriguez has distinguished himself as the definition of jazz and improvisation without boundaries, earning him frequent invitations to perform on prestigious stages and at acclaimed festivals around the world. He was nominated in 2015 for a Grammy in recognition of “Guantanamera” off his album The Invasion Parade. Rodriguez’s fourth studio album, The Little Dream (2018), was recorded in just two days, with a majority of the tracks being completed in one take. Rodriguez’s most recent album is Duologue, his collaboration with Pedrito Martinez.