Pedrito Martinez
Pedro Pablo “Pedrito” Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba, Sept 12, 1973, in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood, where rumba is played all day long, and began his musical career at the age of 11, with a foundation in the rumba and Afro-Cuban Yoruba traditions.
Since settling in New York City in the fall of 1998, Pedrito has recorded or performed with Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, Ruben Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Matthews, and Sting, and has contributed to over 75 albums.
A consummate master of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and the batá drum, he is also the world’s first-call rumbero—playing, singing, and dancing with dozens of Cuban rumba groups.
Pedrito 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-90’s.
Mr. Martinez’s career as a leader began in 2005 with the formation in NYC of the Pedrito Martinez Group. He has recorded four solo albums, the first one of which was nominated for a Grammy® in 2013 and was chosen among NPR’s Favorite Albums for 2013 and The Boston Globe Critics' Top Ten Albums of the same year.
In February of 2019, Pedrito and Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez released a duo album called Duologue to critical acclaim. Quincy Jones was Executive Producer.
Alfredo Rodriguez
In his new home, Rodriguez took note of the limited cross-pollination and few collaborations that existed between mainstream Latin music and Latin jazz. Coral Way, which features guest vocalists Cimafunk and Alana Sinkëy, serves as the connective tissue between these worlds—an artistic statement for the diverse Latin community to be seen, be heard, and take pride in their history, while creating community through individuality.
Rodriguez notes, “I play what I live, and Coral Way is my new life. It is the name of the street on which, for the past 3 years, I have been composing this album, and now I’m excited that people from all over the world will finally get to hear it in an expansive way, with a full live band."
Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Rodriguez’s world was confined by the numerous restrictions imposed by his country. With limited options, his parents enrolled him in a classical conservatory, but he was quickly shut down by his first teacher, who declared him devoid of talent. Despite pushback, his love for piano grew so strong that he wasn’t even deterred by not having a piano to practice on at home; instead, he painted piano keys on his parents' dinner table so he could run his scales.
In 2006, at age 19, he received an invitation to represent Cuba at the Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) in the International Solo Piano Competition. After applying and auditioning as a composer, alongside twelve of the top pianists in the world, he was accepted and made his way to Switzerland, where he ended up being invited to festival founder Claude Nobs’ chalet to play for the guests, one of whom happened to be legendary producer Quincy Jones. Upon Jones’ return to Los Angeles, he couldn’t get Alfredo out of his mind. He called his VP, Adam Fell, and explained that Alfredo was one of the best pianists he had ever seen, and they needed to work with him. Little did they know, Alfredo had only received permission to travel to Switzerland to play in the competition (as it was difficult for Cubans to obtain a travel visa), and he also learned it would be illegal to work with him due to the Cuban embargo.
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