Pedrito Martinez Group

“Cuban music is very cosmopolitan,” declares Havana native Pablo “Pedrito” Martinez. Percussionist and vocalist Martinez is an innovator who incorporates sounds from jazz to funk. But what makes his ensemble notable is its grounding in the fundamentals of Afro-Cuban music: Yoruba chanting and the rhythms of the batá drum, both of which came to Cuba with enslaved Africans. By honoring this tradition, Martinez makes even the most modern song into pure Afro-Cuban expression.

September 14, 2011; 2:34 PM • by RVANews staff

• Afro-Cuban music
• New York City, New York

[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Pedrito-Martinez-Group.mp3|titles=Pedrito Martinez Group]

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“Cuban music is very cosmopolitan,” declares Havana native Pablo “Pedrito” Martinez. Percussionist and vocalist Martinez is an innovator who incorporates sounds from jazz to funk. But what makes his ensemble notable is its grounding in the fundamentals of Afro-Cuban music: Yoruba chanting and the rhythms of the batá drum, both of which came to Cuba with enslaved Africans. By honoring this tradition, Martinez makes even the most modern song into pure Afro-Cuban expression.

September 14, 2011 2:34 PM 0