Artist Biographies
Jose
GonzalezVocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Puerto Rican Cuatro
Guitarist, composer and virtuoso Cuatro player, Jose Gonzalez, is a top performer of contemporary Latin music. Acclaimed for his original compositions featuring "the Cuatro", (Puerto Rico's national instrument), his eleven self-produced recordings have become bestsellers. His music is featured on NBC, PBS, CNN, cable TV, as well as four "Putumayo World Music" CDs, the Bose Corp. "World Music"CD and the PBS "Visions of Puerto Rico" TV special.
Jose is a graduate of the
University of Puerto Rico with
musical performances in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico,
Martinique, Curacao, and the U.S.A. He has performed on stage
alongside top Latin artists and musicians, such as:
| actress/singer Libertad Lamarque rock singer Sandro singer / artist Ruben Blades singer Braulio singer Danny Rivera folk singer Andres Jimenez folk singer Roy Brown singer Lucecita Benitez percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo percussionist Paoli Mejias pianist Eric Figueroa (Batacumbele) percussionist Tito De Gracia Puerto Rican rock singer Tito Auger |
The
Nieves
Family
(Modesto,
Monika,
and Cristian Nieves) PR Guiro performer Candido Reyes Los 4 Del Cuatro (Edwin Colon Zayas, Pedro Guzman Quique Domenech) bassist John Benitez the late trumpetist Juancito Torres salsa singer Ismael Miranda bassist Gary Nuñez (of Plena Libre) folk singer Antonio Caban Vale (El Topo) singer Jose Nogueras pianist Emiliano Salvador singer Carmita Jimenez singer Sophie poet Magdalena Gomez poet Martin Espada |
WITH ENSEMBLES
Haciendo
Punto
En
Otro
Son
Los Pleneros De La 21
Moliendo Vidrio
Trio Los Andinos
Hartford Symphony Orchestra
Puerto Rico
Symphony
Orchestra
Bronx Arts Ensemble
New Jersey Chamber Music Society
He's
performed at events and locations such as:
Heineken Jazz Festival (Puerto
Rico)
World Guitar festival (Martinique)
Yale University
Princeton University
Madison Square Garden
Rene GonzalezDrum set, Electric and Upright Bass, Timbales, Congas, Bongos, Bata Drums, Peruvian Cajon Vocals and Latin Percussion.
Rene
Gonzalez
has
been
a
multi-percussionist,
focusing on Afro-Cuban-Puerto Rican music styles since nine-years of
age. Beginning studies on drums with his father at the age of six, Rene
studied Rock and Funk. He began an early apprenticeship with noted
Puerto Rican percussionist Freddie Moreno on Timbales, Bongos,
Tumbadoras, and Latin percussion until the age of 24. He continued
these studies with famed percussionist David "La Mole" Ortiz,
percussionist/timbalero Tito
De
Gracia, percussionist Paoli Mejias, percussionist Diego Centeno, and
others. In 2004, he met and has studied since with percussionist/bata
drummer Victor "Papo" Sterling, becoming
an Omoalañá (tambor Añá Ire Guantolokun) in
2010.
Enrolling at the University of Massachusetts' Music Department, Rene studied straight-ahead jazz, big band jazz, and rudimental studies with acclaimed concert percussionist Peter Tanner, and Berklee Drumset teacher, John Ramsay (himself a student of Alan Dawson). Since his undergraduate days, Rene has begun an independent apprenticeship on electric and upright bass, developing his ability on those instruments and performing with numerous groups on both instruments as well.
Rene has recorded timbales, tumbadoras, bongos, drums, and electric bass on numerous records spanning various styles and bands, and performed alongside:
WITH BANDS:
Los Pleneros De La 21
Orquesta Komboloko
Orquesta Calidad
Gilberto Rivera & Rumbanama
MarKamusic
Sabor A Timba
Carlos DeLeon and his Latin-Jazz Group
Kilombo
Viva Quetzal!
Brian Bender and The Pageans
Heshima Moja & Ofrecimiento
Kultura Borikua
Jibaro Latin Jazz
For details about his performance career, visit http://www.myspace.com/gonzalezbros
Ahmed Gonzalez
Flutes, Backup vocals, percussion
Ahmed Gonzalez has been a flutist for over 15 years, focusing on Latin-American musical styles, classical music, and American Jazz. A student of Sue Kurian (herself a student of the great French flutist, Jean-Pierre Rampal), Ahmed developed a strong flute foundation in many styles, making him a versatile performer. Ahmed has recorded in numerous records, performs regularly with 6 bands in the Western MA and Hartford, CT area (Orquesta Komboloko, Criollo Clasico, Banda Criolla, David Gonzalez Latin Jazz Experience, MarKamusic , Sabor A Timba), and is currently promoting his solo album, Flute Soul. He has also performed alongside:
WITH BANDS:
Los Pleneros De La 21
Pupy Santiago Y La Descarga Cubana
Orquesta Komboloko
Sabor A Timba
MarKamusic
Karibe Mambo
Orquesta Costa Brava
Heshima Moja & Ofrecimiento
Kultura Borikua
Jibaro Latin Jazz
and in the prestigious Heineken Jazz Jam Series in Puerto Rico, University of Puerto Rico, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Massachusetts-Bright Moments Festival, University of Hartford, Casa Aboy Cultural Center (PR), Puerto Rican Institute of Culture, Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
Enrolling at the University of Massachusetts' Music Department, Rene studied straight-ahead jazz, big band jazz, and rudimental studies with acclaimed concert percussionist Peter Tanner, and Berklee Drumset teacher, John Ramsay (himself a student of Alan Dawson). Since his undergraduate days, Rene has begun an independent apprenticeship on electric and upright bass, developing his ability on those instruments and performing with numerous groups on both instruments as well.
Rene has recorded timbales, tumbadoras, bongos, drums, and electric bass on numerous records spanning various styles and bands, and performed alongside:
| percussionist Giovanni
Hidalgo ex-Irakere / NG La Banda saxophonist Carlos Averhoff pianist / producer Jason Miles percussionist Paoli Mejias folk singer Antonio Caban Vale (El Topo) Cuban trumpet great Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros percussionist Eguie Castrillo folk singer Roy Brown pianist Leo Blanco Puerto Rican rock figure Tito Auger (Fiel A La Vega) The Nieves Family (Modesto, Monika, and Cristian Nieves salsa singer Ray De La Paz salsa singer Eddie Temporal salsa singer Jesus Pagan drummer Steve Berrios |
pianist Luis
Marin drummer Jimmy Rivera percussionist Orlando Vega pianist Zacchai Curtis double-bassist Luques Curtis Cuatro player Eligio "Prodigio" Claudio bassist/singer Heshima pianist Warren Byrd multi-instrumentalist Kevin Sharpe multi instrumentalist Jo Sallins trumpetist/pianist Jeff Holmes flamenco dancer Ines Arrubla vibraphonist/percussionist Damon Grant drummer John Ramsay |
bassist Oscar Stagnaro drummer / singer David Allan Rivera folk singer Fernando Ferrer folk singer Walter Morciglio trumpetist Carlos DeLeon folk singer Tao Rodriguez Seeger saxophonist Fred Tillis percussionist Victor Sterling trumpetist Ray Gonzalez Flamenco guitarist Jose Valle Fajardo "Chuscales" jazz pianist Eugene Uman poet Magdalena Gomez poet Martin Espada |
WITH BANDS:
Los Pleneros De La 21
Orquesta Komboloko
Orquesta Calidad
Gilberto Rivera & Rumbanama
MarKamusic
Sabor A Timba
Carlos DeLeon and his Latin-Jazz Group
Kilombo
Viva Quetzal!
Brian Bender and The Pageans
Heshima Moja & Ofrecimiento
Kultura Borikua
Jibaro Latin Jazz
For details about his performance career, visit http://www.myspace.com/gonzalezbros
Ahmed GonzalezFlutes, Backup vocals, percussion
Ahmed Gonzalez has been a flutist for over 15 years, focusing on Latin-American musical styles, classical music, and American Jazz. A student of Sue Kurian (herself a student of the great French flutist, Jean-Pierre Rampal), Ahmed developed a strong flute foundation in many styles, making him a versatile performer. Ahmed has recorded in numerous records, performs regularly with 6 bands in the Western MA and Hartford, CT area (Orquesta Komboloko, Criollo Clasico, Banda Criolla, David Gonzalez Latin Jazz Experience, MarKamusic , Sabor A Timba), and is currently promoting his solo album, Flute Soul. He has also performed alongside:
| percussionist Giovanni
Hidalgo percussionist Paoli Mejias timbalero Pupy Santiago folk singer Antonio Caban Vale (El Topo) Cuban trumpet great Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros percussionist Eguie Castrillo folk singer Roy Brown Puerto Rican rock figure Tito Auger (Fiel A La Vega) The Nieves Family (Modesto, Monika, and Cristian Nieves) salsa singer Ray De La Paz salsa singer Van Lester salsa singer Frankie Vazquez salsa singer Eddie Temporal |
salsa singer Jesus
Pagan drummer Steve Berrios percussionist Orlando Vega pianist Zacchai Curtis double-bassist Luques Curtis bassist/singer Heshima multi-instrumentalist Kevin Sharpe multi-instrumentalist Jo Sallins trumpetist/pianist Jeff Holmes flamenco dancer Ines Arrubla |
drummer / singer David Allan Rivera folk singer Fernando Ferrer folk singer Walter Morciglio folk singer Tao Rodriguez Seeger bassist Alfonso "El Panameño" Joseph percussionist/bandleader Luis Mangual percussionist Victor Sterling trumpetist Ray Gonzalez Flamenco guitarist Jose Valle Fajardo "Chuscales" poet Magdalena Gomez poet Martin Espada |
WITH BANDS:
Los Pleneros De La 21
Pupy Santiago Y La Descarga Cubana
Orquesta Komboloko
Sabor A Timba
MarKamusic
Karibe Mambo
Orquesta Costa Brava
Heshima Moja & Ofrecimiento
Kultura Borikua
Jibaro Latin Jazz
and in the prestigious Heineken Jazz Jam Series in Puerto Rico, University of Puerto Rico, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Massachusetts-Bright Moments Festival, University of Hartford, Casa Aboy Cultural Center (PR), Puerto Rican Institute of Culture, Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
For details about his performance
career, visit http://www.myspace.com/gonzalezbros