Grammy Nominee Ariacne Trujillo was born in Havana, Cuba. She began her career as a child prodigy. Blessed with perfect pitch, she’s had a vast career as a concert pianist and composer, achieving Master Prices and special mentions in National and International Cuban Competitions and performing at the top Theaters and Halls of the Country. At age 14 Ariacne was chosen to perform with the symphonic orchestra of Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in music, piano performance from Cuba’s hyper-competitive ISA conservatory while working as a singer at the legendary Cabaret Tropicana.
Born in Perú and raised in New York, Jhair Sala spent his formative years studying intensively with Pedrito Martínez having met Pedrito when he was ten years old. He’s now in high demand as a session musician and bandleader in his own right, but there’s an uncanny magic when he plays with Pedrito. Jhair’s touch, timing, and feel, are truly remarkable and with literally thousands of hours of studying, performing and jamming together, the two drummers play as one.
Pianist, trumpeter, arranger and composer Edgar Pantoja-Aleman has devoted his life to an intense passion for music. He was born in Santiago de Cuba, and at the age of 11, began studying classical music, motivated by his mother who discovered in him innate musical inclinations, especially, in Afro Cuban rhythms.
Pedro Pablo “Pedrito” Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba, Sept 12, 1973. Having settled in New York City in the fall of 1998, by 2000, he had been awarded the Thelonius Monk Award for Afro-Latin Hand Percussion and was featured in the documentary film, Calle 54. Pedrito has recorded or performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Paquito D’Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, and Sting and has contributed, as a percussionist and vocalist, to over 50 albums. Mr. Martinez was also a founding member of the highly successful, Afro-Cuban/Afro-Beat band, Yerba Buena, with which he recorded two albums and toured the world. Pedrito’s career as a leader began in 2005 with the formation in NYC of The Pedrito Martinez Group. The group’s Grammy-nominated first album was released October, 2013 and was chosen among NPR’s Favorite Albums of 2013 and The Boston Globe Critics Top Ten Albums of 2013.