Pedrito Martinez is a Cuban percussionist, singer, dancer and songwriter. He was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. He is a Cuban conguero performing classic Cuban rumbas, Afro-Cuban folkloric and religious music. He is a santería priest. He came to the United States of America from Havana in 1998. He plays the batá drum, conga, cajón, timbales, and bongo drums, among other percussion instruments. Pedrito learned his craft from the streets of Havana, Cuba. He has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill, Brian Lynch, and Bruce Springsteen. He settled in the New York City, New Jersey area, in 1998.
He is a founding member of the band Yerba Buena. They recorded two albums. In 2003, President Alien, and in 2005 their album Island Life was No. 62 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums Chart.
He is a member of the Nuevo Jazz Latino program which is a part of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Martinez became leader of the Pedrito Martinez Group in 2005. Their first album The Pedrito Martinez Group was released in 2013, with guest artists Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, and Steve Gadd.
On Martinez's 2016 album titled Habana Dreams, the guest artists were Wynton Marsalis, Ruben Blades, Angélique Kidjo, and Issac Delgado.
Early life Pedro Pablo "Pedrito" Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba, September 12, 1973 in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood of Old Havana. Cayo Hueso is a neighborhood known for African-derived rumba rhythms. He grew up near the Palacio de la Rumba theater and watched renowned artists rehearse and perform as a child. The house he grew up in was across the street from a park where he became fascinated by men playing percussion, singing and dancing Cuban rumba, a foundational folkloric music and dance with deep roots in Africa. He began his musical career at the age of eleven performing with Cuban artist Tata Guines, and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas as a teenager. Pedrito steeped himself in this style, eventually achieving the status of "rumbero". He was then introduced to Lukumí culture (the culture of Yoruba people in the diaspora) another Afro-Cuban folkloric tradition of great significance. The music of the Lukumí has its own powerful style of music involving ceremonial drums called batá. Martinez mastered the extremely complex rhythms played on the batá as well as the litany of Orisha songs associated with the religion. In 1996, Canadian bandleader Jane Bunnett, while visiting Cuba, had occasion to see Pedrito play and returned two years later to bring him to play in Montreal with her band Spirit of Havana.
Career By the fall of 1998, Martinez had settled in New York City and very shortly thereafter, won first prize in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Competition for Afro Latin Hand Percussion, presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. In 2000, he was featured in the important documentary film on Cuban music, "Calle 54". He has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D'Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Sting, Steve Turre, Bill Summers, Cassandra Wilson, Joe Lovano, Brian Lynch (musician), Stefon Harris, Jane Bunnett, Issac Delgado, Eliane Elias, Stefon Harris, Angélique Kidjo, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Conrad Herwig, Edie Brickell, Rubén Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Esperanza Spalding, Alfredo Rodríguez (pianist born 1985), Elton John, and Los Hombres Calientes and has contributed to well over 50 albums.
Pedrito Martinez was a founding member of the highly successful Afro-Cuban/Afro-Beat band Yerba Buena, which was formed in 2004, and with which he recorded two albums and toured the world. His career as a bandleader, of the Pedrito Martinez Group, began in 2005 in NYC with a four-night a week residency at Guantanamera, a restaurant in midtown Manhattan, where, once word spread, began attracting musicians like Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Steve Winwood, Taj Mahal, and Roger Waters. The Pedrito Martinez Group, the first album recorded by Pedrito as a leader, was released October 2013 on Motema Music. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album and was chosen among NPR's Favorite Albums of 2013 and the Boston Globe Critics "Top Ten Albums of 2013". Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, and Steve Gadd appeared as special guests. Around the same time, an album of flamenco music, Rumba de la Isla was recorded with a different set of musicians, distributed by Sony Masterworks. Habana Dreams, the second album by the Pedrito Martinez Group, was recorded largely in Cuba and was released June 10, 2016 on Motema Music. Guests include Ruben Blades, Issac Delgado, Wynton Marsalis, and Angelique Kidjo. In February 2019, Pedrito Martinez and Cuban pianist, Alfredo Rodriguez released a duo album called Duologue which was selected by NPR for a First Listen: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/24/687794667/first-listen-alfredo-rodr-guez-pedrito-martinez-duologue .
In February 2019, NPR released a performance of the Pedrito Martinez Group that was filmed in January for the Tiny Desk Series. https://www.npr.org/2019/02/14/694731448/the-pedrito-martinez-group-tiny-desk-concert . In February 2021 Martinez announced that he would be releasing a new album entitled 'Acertijos' (Riddles) on March 19 with special guests including Eric Clapton, Jon Faddis, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Isaac Delgado, and more through his label Eshuni Records and Immediate Family Records.
Credits Year AlbumArtist Instrument2025Ilusión ÓpticaThe Pedrito Martinez Group, Cory Henry, Yomil y el Dany, Alexander AbreuBata, Congas, Cymbals, Keyboard, Piano, Percussion, Vocals, Snare Drum2021AcertijosThe Pedrito Martinez GroupBata, Congas, Percussion, Vocals, Snare Drum2019 Duologue Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez Congas, Bata, Snare drum, Cymbals, percussion, vocals 2017 (U)nity Is Power New Cuba (U)nity Featured artist 2017 MONK'estra, Vol. 2John Beasley Bata, Congas, Guest Artist2016Spirits of Havana/Chamalongo Jane Bunnett Vocals 2016 Habana Dreams The Pedrito Martinez Group Producer, Liner Notes, Vocals, Congas, Group Member, Arranger, Bata, Composer 2016 New Direction Herlin Riley Congas 2016 Cosmic Adventure Scott Tixier Congas2016 Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Interpretation on the Music of Woody Shaw Brian Lynch Congas, Timbales, Soloist2015 No Limits for Tumbao Kamarata Jazz / Orozco / César Orozco Maracas, Vocals (Background), Bongos, Vocals2015 The Bronx Pyramid Carlos Henriquez Bata, Featured Artist 2015 L'ó Dá Fún Bàtá Román Díaz Producer, Arranger, Liner Notes, Itotele 2014 Boardwalk Empire, Vol. 3: Music from HBO Series HBO series Percussion, Primary Artist 2014 Juice Medeski Congas, Guiro 2014 First Class to Havana Aymee Nuviola Featured Artist 2013 Far from Finished Bill Cosby Congas 2013 La Noche Más Larga Concha Buika Percussion, Vocals (Background) 2013 Rumba de la Isla Pedrito Martínez Primary Artist, Arranger, Vocals, Congas, Cowbell, Vocals (Background), Chekere, Composer2013 The Pedrito Martinez Group The Pedrito Martinez Group Composer 2013 Elevator Dubs Umberto Echo Bata, Percussion2012 Bamako by Bus Daniel Freedman Main Personnel, Cajon, Congas, Featured Artist, Vocals2013 La Rumba is a Lovesome Thing: A Tribute To Billy Strayhorn Paul Carlon Bata, Congas, Vocals 2011 A Foreign Affair Spyro Gyra Congas 2011 Chico & Rita Bebo Valdés Primary Artist, Vocals 2011 Light My Fire Eliane Elias Congas 2010 Amarte Afrodita / Afrodita Cajon, Quinto, Shekere, Vocals, Vocals (Background) 2010 Timbasa Mark Weinstein Producer, Congas, Bata, Timbales, Percussion, Composer 2009 Ancients Speak Melvin Gibbs Vocals 2009 Jazz Clazz Paquito D'Rivera / Sabine Meyer Cajon, Percussion 2009 Gives You Now Vs Now Jason Lindner Congas, Vocals2008 In These Shoes Claudia Acuña / Arturo O'FarrillMain Personnel, Vocals, Percussion 2007 Con Alma Mark Weinstein Main Personnel, Congas2005 Slave to Africa 2003 President Alien Yerba Buena Composer
Festivals 2023 JazzFest Ottawa, Ontario 2018 - BRIC JazzFest in Brooklyn, New York 2017 - Jazz Fest, New Orleans, Louisiana 2017 - Spoleto Festival, Charleston, South Carolina 2014-15 - Jazz at Lincoln Center season world premiere of Ochas for a big band with Afro-Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. 2012 - Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.
Awards and nominations 2000 - Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition - Pedrito Martinez - Afro-Latin Hand Drumming Award - 1st place 2004 Grammy Awards President Alien (Yerba Buena) - Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alt Album - Nominated 2014 Grammy Awards La Noche Más Larga (Concha Buika) - Best Latin Jazz Album - Nominated 2016 - Boston Globe's World Music Albums 2016 - #1 Latin Jazz Album - NPR Critics Top Jazz Album
References
External links Wynton Marsalis & Pedrito Martinez present "Ochas" The Pedrito Martinez Group - "Compa Gellatano" (PASIC 2016) Pedrito Martinez Conga Solo James Ross @ (Percussion Clinic) with Pedrito Martinez & Weedie Braimah - www.Jross-tv.com