ARTHUR HANLON

Irish-American Arthur Hanlon was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 15, after joining the Flip Jackson Band, the young pianist decided to get seriously involved in music. He moved to New York to start attending the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Around the same time, he began listening to tropical music and experimenting with innovative ideas reflecting Latin traditions combined with jazz and R&B. After making his debut with the independent release of Global Impressions (including tunes composed in New York), Hanlon recorded his first tribute to Latin music, Encuentros. Fonovisa/Melody signed him up to release his third record, titled El Piano Amarillo (The Yellow Piano), featuring traditional songs arranged by Julio C. Reyes. La Gorda Linda, which appeared in 2005, included feature roles for artists including Tito Nieves, Arturo Sandoval, and Ana Bárbara. Hanlon's next move was a sizable detour -- after he was introduced to the work of Latin pop group Mecano, he reworked their material into Mecanomania, an album released under his own name in 2006. The following year, Hanlon toured with Puerto Rican singer Chayanne. In 2009, Hanlon released Piano Sin Fronteras, which featured such guest artists as Colombian vocalist Juanes, Italian singer Laura Pausini, Venezuela's Ricardo Montaner, and others