Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Pedro Pablo Martinez began his musical career at the age of 11, performing as vocalist and percussionist on the afro Cuban music scene playing with legends as a Lazaro Roos,Merceditas Valdes,Oriki, among others.
Grupo X (1) UK soulful Latin/ boogaloo group 1996- present day. Not to be confused with: (2) A more recently formed Mexican band using the same name ("Veneno En La Piel" is their track.) 1)When Grupo X broke through in 2001 with their debut album, "X-Posure", their individual and unique London blend of salsa, soul, bugalu and descarga won them many friends worldwide. From latin and jazz radio stations across the USA to a host of international club DJs (Louie Vega, Gilles Peterson, Osunlade, Patrick Forge...
Safire, born Wilma Cosme in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a New York City freestyle singer-songwriter who has been one of the Freestyle genre's most popular female performers. She started her singing career as a session vocalist. An audition for the Cutting Records label broke her into the mainstream. She had successful run of classic 80s pop singles such as "Don't Break My Heart", "Let Me Be the One", "Boy I've Been Told", and "Thinking of You".
The Fania All-Stars was an illustrious and widely distinguished musical ensemble established in 1968 by composer Johnny Pacheco as a showcase for the leading musicians and singers of the record label Fania Records, the leading salsa record company of the time. In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucci, an Italian-American lawyer with a love for Latin melodies, and Johnny Pacheco, a talented composer and bandleader born in the Dominican Republic. Jerry Masucci later bought out his partner Johnny Pacheco from Fania Entertainment Group Ltd.
Salford born guitar player Mike Walker has played and recorded with the legendary George Russell, Peter Erskine, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor and performed with Dave Holland, Tal Farlow, Vince Mendoza, Anthony Braxton and Bill Frisell and many others. See http://www.mike-walker.co.uk for more info.
check out bio and other info at great website www.headssouth.com
La Excelencia has been called "the band that brought salsa back to it's roots". The response to "La Excelencia's" salsa has created a sort of movement.
Cuban. Pupy Pedroso started with Orquesta Revé and then became a founding member of Los Van Van. In the summer of 2001, he left to form his own group, "Pupy y Los Que Son Son"
