Carnegie Hall to Welcome The Pedrito Martinez Group This Month in Zankel Hall

On Friday, February 19 at 9:00 p.m. in Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall presents Grammy Award-nominated Latin jazz band The Pedrito Martinez Group, led by Cuban percussionist and vocalist Pedrito Martinez, in an evening of music centered on the Afro-Cuban rumba tradition, and the batá rhythms and vocal chants of the music of Yoruba and Santería.

Martinez is joined by his band -- keyboardist Edgar Pantoja-Aleman, electric bassist Álvaro Benavides, and percussionist Jhair Sala -- for this concert, which is presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Absolutely Live Entertainment LLC. This performance marks the ensemble's Carnegie Hall debut.

Prior to this performance, starting at 8:00 p.m., ticketholders are invited to enjoy Late Nights at Zankel Hall, a laid-back pre-concert experience. The first 200 ticketholders to arrive will receive a complimentary drink courtesy of Carnegie Hall. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org/latenights.

Pedro Pablo "Pedrito" Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba on September 12, 1973. He began his musical career at the age of 11, performing as vocalist and percussionist with such Cuban legends as Tata Güines and Yoruba Andabo. A consummate master of Afro-Cuban folkloric music, he doesn't just play the obligatory handful of standard batá rhythms -- he plays the monumentally complex "Oru seco" exquisitely on each drum or on all three at once. He is also the world's first-call rumbero -- playing, singing, and dancing with dozens of groups on over 100 recordings and contributing to or appearing in several important films, including Calle 54 (2000) and Chico and Rita (2010).

Equally at home in popular music, Pedrito's perfectly intoned tenor voice seamlessly combines popular and folkloric influences. His infectious energy, humor, charisma, and dance moves make him a formidable front man and percussionist. Honors that Pedrito has received include the first place Thelonious Monk Award for Afro-Latin Hand Percussion (2000); The Sphinx Medal of Excellence (2014); The Jazz Journalists Association "Percussionist of the Year" (2014 and 2015); Modern Drummer Readers Poll's #1 "Percussionist of the Year" (2014), and Downbeat magazine's one of the "80 Coolest Things in Jazz Today" (2014).

The Pedrito Martinez Group came together in 2005 at a Cuban restaurant in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen, called Guantanamera. Regular visitors to their gigs have included Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, John Scofield, Steve Gadd, Steve Winwood, and Taj Mahal, to name a few. The group's Grammy Award-nominated self-titled first studio album was released in 2013 and features special guests Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, and Steve Gadd, and was chosen among NPR's Favorite Albums of 2013, NPR's First Listen, iTunes Top Ten Jazz Albums for 2013, and The Boston Globe Critics Top Ten Albums of 2013.

The group's second album, Havana Dreams, will be released on Motema Music this spring. Basic tracks were cut at the legendary EGREM Studio in Old Havana. Special guests include Rubén Blades, Isaac Delgado, Telmary Diaz, Descemer Bueno, Roman Diaz, Angélique Kidjo, and Wynton Marsalis, plus all three of Pedrito's brothers, each an accomplished percussion player in his own right.

Program Information:

Friday, February 19 at 9:00 p.m.
Zankel Hall

THE PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP
·· Pedrito Martinez, Percussion and Lead Vocals
·· Edgar Pantoja-Aleman, Keyboard and Vocals
·· Álvaro Benavides, Electric Bass and Vocals
·· Jhair Sala, Cowbell, Bongos, and Vocals

This concert and The Shape of Jazz series are made possible by The Joyce and George Wein Foundation in memory of Joyce Wein.

Tickets, priced $44 and $52, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

Pictured: Pedrito Martinez. Photo by Danielle Moir.