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Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez

BAND/AFFILIATION:		Michel Camilo/Italuba
BIRTHDAY:		4/24/1963
COUNTRY:		United States
PRODUCTS USED:		HORACIO HERNANDEZ ARTIST SERIES DRUMSTICK

1997 Grammy Award winner and one of the most talented drummers in the world today, international recording artist Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez was born in Havana Cuba in 1963 to a family rich with musical heritage deeply rooted in traditional Cuban music and well versed in American jazz currents. His own talent became evident early on and at age 12 when he was accepted into the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte, where he majored in drums and percussion. There he studied with the finest Cuban teachers, including Fausta Garcia Rivera, himself a student of Lawrence Atone and Henry Adler, Enrigue Pla, the drummer for the ground breaking group Irake, and Santiago Reiter, the most influential teacher of modern Cuban drums and percussion.

In 1980, Horacio joined Cuban pianist and composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba's innovative group Proyecto and played, toured, and recorded with the group for ten years. Although he's continued to work and record with the best Cuban and international musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie's United National Orchestra, it was with Rubalcaba that "El Negro" developed his distinct drumming style, the potent mixture of Afro Cuban and Jazz elements that has made him an artist of extraordinary power and musical versatility. This may be heard in full sonic glory on the recently re-issued Live in Havana.

El Negro moved to Rome in 1990 and soon became the energizing force in that city's Jazz and Latin music circles, working and recording with Pino Danielle, Gary Bartz, Steve Turre, Gary Smulyan, and Mike Stern, eventually forming his own band Tercer Mundo. During his stay in Rome he also chaired the Latin Drums Department at the Centro di Percussiono Timba and taught at the Universita Della Musica while also conducting many drum clinics throughout Italy.

Hernandez moved to New York in 1993 and immediately began to work with such celebrated musicians as Paquito D'Rivera, David Valentin, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, the Ed Simon Trio, Kip Hanranhan, Papo Vasquez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Arturo Sandoval, and Tito Puente.

Whether playing with jazz legends like McCoy Tyner or Michel Camilo, rock stars like Carlos Santana or Steve Winwood, or as member of renowned Latin ensembles like Tito Puente's Tropi-Jazz All Stars, El Negro has earned a strong reputation as one of the most powerful and versatile players in the current musical scene. Horacio uses a mixture of Ks and A Customs and his Zildjian "El Negro" Artist Series Drumsticks.

"For Latin-jazz you must have the right cymbal. The bell has the lead role in your playing, so the cymbal must have a great 'jazz' sound in the body, but a bell that's clean and clear, with the right tone."


		Artist Profile

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