Luisito Quintero was born in San Agustin, Caracas, Venezuela where his musical influences began. Luisito came from a very musical family, with all of his siblings playing instruments or percussion from a young age. His father a respected percussionist in Venezuela taught and encouraged Luisito on timbales through his adolescent years. Luisito continued on his musical journey studying at Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela, it was here that his timbale technique soon gained attention of his respective peers.
After his studies Luisito joined the popular groups Grupo Guaco and El Trabuco Venezolano. He travelled across the globe gaining worldwide exposure. His list of accolades are endless. He has worked with with the late Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Richard Bona, Jack Dejonette, Willie Colon, George Benson, Herbie Hancock and Masters at Work to name a few.
Luisito Quintero’s debut album Percussion Madness was produced Grammy Award-winning producer Louie Vega – he includes tributes to an array of musical legends; Tito Puente and Fela Kuti plus his own version of Ray Barretto’s classic Acid.
Fans of percussion are in for a treat as this album encompasses everything from Afrobeat and Bossa Nova to Latin Jazz. What’s more, he’s done it by enlisting the help of some incredible musicians, from pianist Hilton Ruiz, to flautist Nestor Torres the guest appearances don’t fail to disappoint.
It’s definitely an album for people with broad musical palates but at the same there are a good few moments of familiarity. The aforementioned Acid is a wonderful Latin-infused jazz tribute that’s guaranteed to get those hips moving along with bongo-based rendition of Tito Puente’s ‘Four Beat Mambo’. You can buy it here.