Carlos Medrano
Drums & percussion, United States
About the participant
US, Vallejo
Carlos Medrano born in Havana, Cuba, began his musical studies by teaching himself to play Bongos and Congas using traditional Cuban music and Rumba as his guide. After a few years of studying, experience, and having participated in folkloric musical projects and timba, also known as Cuban Salsa, he decided to broaden his musical knowledge by beginning a course of musical studies in the Escuela de Superacion Profesional de Arte “Felix Varela y Morales” where he began to create his foundation for Latin Jazz fusion within other musical projects in Cuba. He remembers with great satisfaction and happiness having been a student of famous international Cuban percussionists such as Jose Antonio Oviedo, Ignacio Jarabe Martinez, Eliel Lazo Linares, Yaroldy Abreu, Jos? Luis Quintana, also known as Changuito. He has also had the satisfaction of meeting some of the finalists of the International Barreto en Memorian competition in Havana, Cuba also known as La Fiesta del Tambor in 2005. He had the opportunity to play in several ‘Big Bands’ directed by Jorge Luis Triana for the inauguration and participation of the International Jazz Festival “ Jazz Plaza “ in Havana Cuba. He worked with Cuban saxophonist, Orlando Sanchez, also known as Cuba Jazz, Danay Bautista, Bobby Carcases. Before arriving to the United States in March 2008, he worked with a well- known pianist from Cuba, Alexis Bosch. Since then, he has been working with several bands in Sonoma County (Batacha and Carlos Herrera Band) and the Bay Area (Pellejo Seco, Delbert Bump & Sazil Band, Yancie Taylor, Jesus Diaz & Latin Ensemble, Boleros y Mas, Ruben Gonzalo, T-Mambo, Mision Barrio Project, and Fito Reinoso). Performances include: San Jose Jazz Festival; 2009 Cuba Caribe Festival held in San Francisco celebrating Cuban folklore; the 2010 San Francisco Carnival; and the 2011 Benecia Jazz Festival and Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival. Teaching experience includes: Cuban folkloric rhythms for the Sonoma County chapter of Loco Bloco at Winsor Middle School; Afro-Cuban Rhythms workshop in Canada, December 2009; Sonoma State University in USA, March 2010; West African and Afro-Cuban dance and drumming conference in the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, May 2010; World Drum Extravaganza: Rumba Cubana Workshop, August 2013, the 2013 SRJC Cuban Music and Film Festival, Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Sonoma County Fairgrounds. After extensive participation in various musical groups, he has decided to start his own projects with local Bay Area musicians; Latin Jazz performed by The Vi?ales Project and Cuban-style salsa performed by Sabor De Mi Cuba where he debuts his musical talents through original songwriting and composition. The fundamental characteristics of these projects are fusion of Afro-Cuban roots influenced by world music. The Vi?ales Project and Sabor De Mi Cuba hope to bring forth edginess to local exponents of music in the BayArea.In 2012, he decided to create his own recording entitled Sabor De Mi Cuba, where he experimented with composition and arrangements. The project was recorded and mastered in the prestigious Egrem Studios in Havana, Cuba. According to Tom Ehrlich of Timba.com Magazine, Sabor De Mi Cuba “is a strong recording, full of elaborate, innovative arrangements, interesting use of chorus, rumba and jazz influenced dance music… The result is a beautiful, swinging recording which should establish Carlitos as a composer, percussionist and band leader to be reckoned with. “