BIO
An Upcoming Album Only Made Possible By The New Opening Of Cuba… One Of New York’s Most Respected Musicians Goes Home To Re-Energize His Afro-Cuban Roots In Havana’s Most Historic Studio
With The Enthusiastic Participation Of Special Guests Including Rubén Blades, Wynton Marsalis, Descemer Bueno, Angélique Kidjo, Issac Delgado And More – Plus The Ability To Record With Family Members In Cuba For The First Time…
The Pedrito Martinez Group Will Release Their Eagerly Awaited Second Album “Habana Dreams” On June 10th.
“The Pedrito Martinez Group is writing a new chapter in Cuban music history… The more you listen, the more you realize Pedrito is, almost impossibly, both a cosmopolitan entertainer and an authentic folklorist.” – NPR
First Single “Compa Galletano” – Featuring The Legendary Rubén Blades is out now, premiered on Billboard.com
Pedrito Martinez is one of the most respected “musician’s-musicians” in New York City, sought out by other artists regardless of language or genre for recording sessions, or just to discreetly take-in an evening of percussion mastery, from intimate venues to the city’s most revered performance spaces such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Now, in celebration of the quickly evolving cultural opening of his homeland, the Afro-Cuban virtuoso has been able to craft a long-held dream album for his Grammy-nominated namesake outfit, The Pedrito Martinez Group. Set for release by Motema Music, on June 10, 2016, Habana Dreams finds Martinez sharing a distinctly Cuban/Yoruban roots-infused album, returning home to record for the first time. Collaborating with family members and some of Cuba’s best musicians, the album was recorded in the island’s most historic studio – the studio which gave birth to much of the music that still influence Pedrito to this day.
This unique time in cultural creativity is captured in an excerpt from Cuban musicologist/author Ned Sublette’s poignant liner notes for Habana Dreams
Habana Dreams is Pedrito’s going-home album, but he’s been going home all along. In his case, that means the dense, urban world – of santeros, paleros, ecobios, rumberos, professional musicians, and strivers of all kinds, to say nothing of ancestral spirits… But following the December 17th, 2014 US opening to Cuba, for the first time it’s fully legal for him to make an album like this. Now, at last, he’s been able to produce his own project in Havana. On October 13th, 2015, The Pedrito Martinez Group, with co-producer Willy Torres and a small posse, flew from New York to Havana to spend five days with a select contingent of Cubans to lay down tracks in one of the world’s most famous recording studios: Areíto/EGREM (formerly Panart)…Much of the music Pedrito grew up hearing was recorded in that room. Habana Dreams pulls together three sets of collaborators: The Pedrito Martinez Group; honored guests; and Pedrito’s family (the first time they’ve joined Pedrito on record)…Pedrito’s one of only a handful of great congueros ever to star also as a compelling singer – both as a soloist and as a first-rate corista — and as a front man. He conveys both high seriousness and playfulness, often at once. He’s a dedicated student of Cuban musical heritage, especially the endlessly complex repertoire of the batá drums brought from Yorubaland. …This project is more than a visit back home. It’s the laying of a cable. People in Cuba are going to hear more and more from Pedrito Martínez. Havana, meanwhile, is busy reaffirming itself as a great music hub, fully connected to the rest of the hemisphere. (For greater detail, see the complete liner notes attached)
A first taste of the Pedrito Martinez Group’s Habana Dreams will arrive on April 1st with the beginning of the album’s pre-order and the release of first single “Compa Galletano” – with a vocal performance from the illustrious Rubén Blades. Look for further news in the coming weeks regarding special concert performances by the Pedrito Martinez Group, and the unveiling of additional songs leading up to the album’s release – such as PMG’s collaborations with Cuban salsa master Issac Delgado, and a recording reunion with Pedrito’s past Yerba Buena bandmate, and now chart-topping songwriter, Descemer Bueno.