Music Page
Ever since I was 6-years-old, I have been involved with music.  It has been one of my passions.  I began performing music by learning how to play (actually quite good) the Baroque instrument, The Recorder.  After learning how to play Recorder, my father began training me in percussion (snare drum techniques) with a book called Syncopation by Ted Reed.  Later, during my early junior high years, I began to play on a drumset and learned critical techniques such as 4-limb coordination (playing different beats with legs and arms).  During highschool, I performed in numerous jazz groups and the school pep band.  It was during this time that I began to immerse myself in "hardcore" jazz and complicated drumming music (such as fusion and Indian drumming).  I had a "Return to the Roots" period where I heavily concentrated on mastering Afro-Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Brazilian rhythms.  Through my first year in college, I performed with the University of Massachusetts' Big Band and learned a lot about Big Band swing music. I've performed professionally as a drummer and latin percussionist in various different settings.  I perform with Peruvian Cajones, Bongos, Congas, and Timbales in some settings, and play drum-set in others.  Currently, I perform with MarkaMusic, a band featuring a fusion of South American/Caribbean/Funk rhythms, with Jose Gonzalez and Criollo Clasico and Banda Criolla, and with several smaller groups on an occasional basis.

I would rate myself as an professional drummer capable of performing Latin, Gospel, Jazz, Funk, Rock, Hip-Hop, and Brazilian music.  I would like to work on more 4-limb coordination, double-bass drum techniques, and left/right independence.  Below are some of my musical influences.

Drummer Billy Cobham - Autographed!

Billy Cobham

I was introduced to Billy Cobham's bombastic drumming style by my father (who is also a big fan of Billy).  I bought 2 collections of Billy's greatest hits and listened to my father's Mahavishnu Orchestra records.  I can't say much more about Billy but that he is a complete master of the drumset, has complete mastery of rudimental techniques and is completely ambidextrous (meaning everything he plays with his left hand he can play with his right hand).

Billy, a Panamanian, is a master of popular, jazz, funk, and fusion drumming.  His Latin drumming is noticeably Latin-Funk or Latin-Rock oriented instead of a more Cowbell-African approach (that is more common in Latin drummers).  While I would prefer the work of Ignacio Berroa, "El Negro" Hernandez, or even some of the Afro-Cuban Timba drumset players (such as Jimmy Branly), he has been invited to perform with famous Latin music groups, such as the Fania All-Stars.  He is also a nice guy, and seems to have a genuine interest and commitment in promoting excellence in music throughout students of various drumming styles.

Giovanni Hidalgo - World's Greatest Conga Player

Giovanni Hidalgo - World's Greatest Conga Player

Giovanni Hidalgo is respected as the undisputed world's greatest conga player.  A true musical prodigy and native of Puerto Rico, his mastery of the Conga drums is uncanny.  Adapting traditional snare drum rudiments, as well as World rhythm techniques to the Afro-Cuban Conga drums, he has elevated the art of Conga playing to new unprecedented levels.  Giovanni has a distinct musical tone and rapid hand-speed playing style and has been known to play with 4 or more congas in complex rhythms.  A member of many Latin Jazz all-star groups and a member of the late Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations orchestra, Giovanni is truly one of the world's greatest musicians.

Giovanni is also one of the most humble musicians I have spoken with during my musical career and loves to teach "youngters" the "Roots".  An all-around class act, regarding being an amazing musician and an amazing person.  I had the pleasure of performing with him on April 8th, 2004 (see the "Concerts and Performances" section of my photo gallery, on this website), and he was an amazing performer and bandmate.  With Giovanni, you don't "back" him up, you produce something together.  That's an attitude toward performances that I like a lot, and I appreciate the chance to have been a part of such an amazing concert.


Tito Puente - The King of Latin MusicTito Puente, my father, me, and some of my father's students

Tito Puente - The King of Latin Music

If asked, most people would remark that Tito Puente is the most widely-known Latin American musician in the world (with the possible exception of Ricky Martin).  A Puerto Rican legend, Tito Puente recorded more than 100 records of his own (holding the world record for recordings) and has played in numerous fundamental Latin music groups.  A master of the Timbales, even to his older years he held a solid unmistakable sound on the Timbales.  His funny antics and genuine love for performing were always an appreciated addition to his playing.  He is credited with much of the popularity of Latin music in the United States and has been given his place among "the classics" after his unfortunate death in May 2000.
He was definitely an influence on me.  I had the privilege of meeting him in Holyoke, MA and somehow his presence affected my career.  A very friendly person, I will remember Tito's words, "You play drums?  Good, keep going forward, kid.".  Thanks, Tito.  I will.  May your memory live forever...

Jimmy Branly

Jimmy Branly - Timba/Afro-Cuban Drummer

Most people will not know who he is, and those that do, know that he is an up and coming drummer in the States.  However, back in his native Cuba, Branly is a first-call drummer, with a whos-who list of playing experiences with the top Cuban artists of salsa, songo, timba, and guaganco.  Don't let that fool you, however, since this man can play funk, jazz, fusion, and pretty much whatever else you throw at him, as if he was born playing those styles.  I first saw this man perform on the drum instructional video, "Drumset Artists of Cuba".  I had to add him to this page because he is the drummer which is most directly responsible for influencing my current drum setup: the standard Timba-style drum setup (6-piece Yamaha Beech Custom Drumset, with Tito Puente Brass Timbales on the Left Side of the Hi-Hat, and various cowbells/claves around the set).  Although all the drummers in that video were world-class masters of their instrument, it was Jimmy's obvious spirit and plain "having fun" during his recorded performance with the all-star Cuban band, NG La Banda, that caught my eye.  Jimmy is funky, groovy, and just a delight to see playing.  Along with Cobham, Branly is the model drumming style that I follow.  I await the chance to see this man perform live!
Feliciano Arango

Feliciano Arango - Father of Timba Bass Playing

It was in the late 1990s that I first started to hear the great salsa bands of Cuba.  My first exposure to the music of Cuba came about as part of a compilation CD featuring some of Cuba's best bands.  What got my attention were two bands, Los Van Van and NG La Banda.  The CD contained NG's track, La Protesta De Los Chivos, a funny song describing a goat's plea to not be killed for his skin (percussionists use goatskin on their drums).  What really got my attention was the crazy bass playing of their bass player, Feliciano Arango.  What he was playing (and giving birth to) was the funky bass technique of Cuba's new musical style, Timba (a form of salsa that features funkified bass playing, highly rhythmical piano playing, and often incorporates hip-hop style vocals).  His playing grabbed my interest, and I picked up all the music from NG La Banda that I could find.


Unlike established Puerto Rican salsa bass grooves (the bass tumbao), which mostly feature a playing style involving cyclying between root tones and their fifths, Feliciano's bass playing encompassed the entire fretboard.  I remember thinking that most of the percussionists and musicians I played with would probably disapprove of Feliciano's unhinged and improvisatory bass playing style (because it wasn't "afincao"...it was too "crazy"), but therein lied his value to me.  Somehow he could make the song groove AND play as many notes as he wished.  Later, I was informed by a friend (and Tumbao Habana's ex bass player, Irais Brito), that he had taken lessons with the great Jaco Pastorius, which would explain his advanced technique and playing style.  He was adapting modern jazz bass playing to Cuba's salsa, and inventing a new genre at the same time.  He stood out from the crowd of bass players of salsa's past who all sounded the same to me.  It's largely Feliciano's style that has influenced my desire to practice electric bass, and today, most modern salsa bass players imitate his funky nature, whether it be the bass players of Marc Anthony, DLG, or other mainstream bands.

Ruben Rodriguez, new salsa bass pioneer

If you've heard any of Marc Anthony's albums, Dark Latin Groove, or a lot of modern salsa's productions, it's likely you've heard the great Ruben Rodriguez.  Adept at upright "baby bass" AND electric bass, Ruben Rodriguez is credited with having pioneered (along with bass players like Feliciano Arango) modern salsa bass playing.  Going beyond the traditional "ping, bong" interplay between tonic and fifth in most traditional salsa bass playing, Ruben has sought to funkifize grooves, often playing off major and minor chords and progressions to create harmonically interesting progressions.