Bobby Sanabria
Encyclopedia
Bobby Sanabria is an American drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, producer, and writer specializing in Latin jazz
.
ancestry: his father, José, comes from the barrio
of Ensenada in Guanica, Puerto Rico, while his mother, Juanita, comes from the barrio of Jacanas, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
He attended the Berklee College of Music
in Boston from 1975 to 1979, graduating in 1979. He received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
in 1983 and was a featured performer on the Mambo Kings film soundtrack. He also appeared on The Bill Cosby Show
with the Mario Bauza orchestra.
Sanabria often performs in New York public schools as part of the Arts Exposure Program. He has written articles for Modern Drummer
magazine and has been interviewed by the magazine several times. He currently teaches an Afro-Cuban Big Band ensemble at the Manhattan School of Music
and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
.
He has performed with Mario Bauza
, Dizzy Gillespie
, Tito Puente
, Mongo Santamaría
, Chico Freeman
, Paquito D'Rivera
, Candido
, Ray Barretto
, Chico O'Farrill
, Francisco Aguabella
, Henry Threadgill
, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Daniel Ponce, Michael Gibbs
, Charles McPherson, Phil Wilson
, and Marco Rizo.
Afro-Cuban Dream: Live and in Clave! and Big Band Urban Folktales were nominated for a Grammy award.
COMING IN 2012 - MULTIVERSE featuring special guests La Bruja & Chareneè Wade - Bobby Sanabria Big Band (Jazzheads)
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
.
Biography
Sanabria was born at St. Francis Hospital in the South Bronx, where he grew up. He is of Puerto RicanPuerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
ancestry: his father, José, comes from the barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
of Ensenada in Guanica, Puerto Rico, while his mother, Juanita, comes from the barrio of Jacanas, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
He attended the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston from 1975 to 1979, graduating in 1979. He received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
in 1983 and was a featured performer on the Mambo Kings film soundtrack. He also appeared on The Bill Cosby Show
The Bill Cosby Show
The Bill Cosby Show is an American situation comedy that aired for two seasons on NBC's Sunday night schedule from 1969 until 1971, under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. There were 52 episodes made in the series. It marked Cosby's first solo foray in television, after his co-starring role with...
with the Mario Bauza orchestra.
Sanabria often performs in New York public schools as part of the Arts Exposure Program. He has written articles for Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer is a monthly publication targeting the interests of on drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public...
magazine and has been interviewed by the magazine several times. He currently teaches an Afro-Cuban Big Band ensemble at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music is the second conservatory of The New School university. It is located on 13th Street in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood.-History:...
.
He has performed with Mario Bauza
Mario Bauza
Mario Bauzá was an important Cuban musician. He was one of the first to introduce Latin music to the United States by bringing Cuban musical styles into the New York jazz scene...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
, Mongo Santamaría
Mongo Santamaría
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All...
, Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman...
, Paquito D'Rivera
Paquito D'Rivera
Paquito D'Rivera is a Cuban alto saxophonist, clarinetist and soprano saxophonist. The winner of multiple Grammys and other awards, D'Rivera has lived in the United States since the early 1980s. He has worked in a variety of contexts, but is perhaps best known for playing Latin...
, Candido
Candido
Candido may refer to:* Antonio Candido , writer, professor, and literary critic* Candido Amantini , Italian Roman Catholic priest* Candido Camero , Cuban percussionist* Candido Jacuzzi , Italian-American inventor...
, Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican jazz musician.-Early years:Barretto was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent...
, Chico O'Farrill
Chico O'Farrill
Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill was a composer-arranger best known for his work in the Latin idiom, although he also composed straight-ahead jazz pieces and even symphonic works....
, Francisco Aguabella
Francisco Aguabella
Francisco Aguabella was an Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist whose career began in the 1950s.-Biography:Aguabella was born in Matanzas, Cuba. In the 1950s, he left Cuba to perform with Katherine Dunham in the Shelley Winters film Mambo filmed in Italy...
, Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres....
, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Daniel Ponce, Michael Gibbs
Michael Gibbs
Michael Gibbs is the name of:* Michael Gibbs , Newfoundland lawyer and politician* Michael Gibbs aka Mike Gibbs, jazz composer and arranger* Michael Gibbs , Dean of Cape Town and Dean of Chester...
, Charles McPherson, Phil Wilson
Phil Wilson
Phil Wilson may refer to:Musicians*Phil Wilson , singer with The June Brides and solo artist*Phil Wilson , American jazz trombonist and educator*Phillip Wilson , American jazz drummerPoliticians...
, and Marco Rizo.
Afro-Cuban Dream: Live and in Clave! and Big Band Urban Folktales were nominated for a Grammy award.
As a leader
- 1993 - ¡New York City Ache! featuring special guests Tito Puente & Paquito D'Rivera (originally released on Flying Fish, later re-released on Rounder Records) - NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors) nominee
- 2000 - Afro-Cuban Dream: Live and in Clave!!! w/special guests Candido & John Stubblefield - Bobby Sanabria Big Band (Arabesque) - NARAS Grammy nominee Best Latin Jazz Recording
- 2002 - Bobby Sanabria & ¡Quarteto Aché! (originally released on Khaeon, later re-released on ZOHO)
- 2003 - 50 Years of Mambo: A Tribute to Damaso Perez Prado - Mambo All-Stars Orchestra (Mambo Maniacs) - LARAS Latin Grammy nominee Best Traditional Tropical Recording
- 2007 - El Espiritu Jibaro (The Jibaro Spirit) Roswell Rudd & Yomo Toro featuring Bobby Sanabria & Ascensión
- 2007 - Big Band Urban Folktales - Bobby Sanabria Big Band (Jazzheads)- NARAS Grammy nominee Best Latin Jazz Recording, JJA Award (Jazz Journalists Association) Latin Jazz Album of the Year 2008 *2009 - Kenya Revisited Live!!! w/ special guest NEA Jazz Master Candido - Bobby Sanabria conducting the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (Jazzheads) - LARAS Latin Grammy nominee Best Latin Jazz recording
- 2011 - Tito Puente Masterworks Live!!! Bobby Sanabria conducting the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (Jazzheads) - LARAS Latin Grammy nominee Best Latin Jazz Recording
COMING IN 2012 - MULTIVERSE featuring special guests La Bruja & Chareneè Wade - Bobby Sanabria Big Band (Jazzheads)