Pedrito Martinez Group

Cuban native Pedrito Martinez has been performing as a conguero and singer since he was eleven-years-old. The 2015 Grammy nominee has established himself among the musical elite, gigging with Paquito D’Rivera, Joe Lovano, and pop star Sting, and touring with the high-energy Afro-Beat group Yerba Buena. With his own band, Martinez’s compositions draw heavily on the Afro-Cuban tradition of rumba and guaguanco. He is assisted by Jhair Sala (bongo, cowbell and vocals), Alvarado Benavides (electric bass and vocals), and Edgar Pantoja-Aleman (keyboards and vocals). The New York Times describes Martinez as, “… an incomparable performer.” Photo: Daniel Lemoir