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On his first album, Slave to Africa (available on iTunes), Cuban percussionist, vocalist, composer and bandleader Pedro MartÃnez draws upon his deep Afro-Cuban vocal and percussion roots and various other influences learned along the routes of the African Diaspora to profess his love for and devotion to the musical legacy of the Motherland. Pedro's original material showcases his abilities as composer and multi-instrumentalist on vocals and various Cuban percussion instruments.
At the young age of 34, Pedro has performed, recorded, and toured with the likes of Cassandra Wilson, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bebo Valdés and Cigala, Eddie Palmieri, Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Murray, Stefon Harris, Brian Lynch, Merceditas Valdés, Tata Güines, Yoruba Andabo, the Conga Kings featuring Cándido Camero, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Carlos “Patato†Valdés, Yerba Buena (as co-lead vocalist, co-founder and co-composer), and after only one year in the US, back in 2000, he won first place in the Thelonious Monk Latin Hand Drum competition. Furthermore, he is one of the young percussionists to receive a glowing endorsement from one of his most important predecessors, the late great Cuban percussionist Mongo SantamarÃa.
The members of the Pedro Martinez Project are:
Pedro Martinez on musical direction, composition, percussion, voice, and dance
Román DÃaz and Mauricio Herrera on percussion
Panagiotis Andreou on bass and vocals
Axel Tosca Laugart on keyboard and vocals
and
Ileana SantamarÃa (Mongo SantamarÃa’s youngest daughter and heir apparent to his musical legacy) on vocals and dance.
In the spirit of celebrating roots and life with the songs and dances of the African Diaspora, the selections on “Slave to Africa†are songs that, in Ileana’s words, “loudly and proudly proclaim who we are, where we come from, and how we get downâ€, in Spanish, a little rhyme in English, and of course, the many African languages that people still sing in and speak in Cuba today, primarily Yoruba. This group promises to deliver an experience to remember; think Yoruba Andabo meeting OutKast, at the intersection of transatlantic routes where Oumou Sangaré and Celia Cruz cross paths…the Pedro MartÃnez Project, coming to a venue near you!