3prime
Vince Mendoza
Tom Warrington
Dave Liebman
Dave Pell
Peter Erskine
MALT
Joe LaBarbera
Matt Harris
Cover - Parlato Duo
Tom Ranier
Bob Florence
Dave Hooper
Les Hooper
Dean Taba
Lonesome Tree
Tolu
Texas Brown
Dwayne "Smitty" Smith
4 West
Sherman Ferguson
Rick Culver
Melvin Lee Davis
Allen Hinds
Babaghanoush
Bruce Lofgren
Chris Walden
Kristin Korb
Mary Ann McSweeney
Mark McMillen
Sal Cracchiolo - Melanie Jackson
Dave Ameele
George Kahn
Kim Richmond
SHAPES
Bob Peterson
Andy Middleton
Jenna Mammina
Tom Canning
Clay Jenkins
Peter Erskine - Richard Torres
Rhythm Logic
Lounge Art Ensemble
Michael White
Mike Fahn
Bill Warfield
Dave Samuels
David Friedman
Dick Weller
Eddie Reyes
John Beasley
Paul Kreibich
Pete Snell
Putter Smith
Cathy Segal Garcia
Dave Wild
Greg Mathieson
Bill Fulton
Abraham Laboriel - Greg Mathieson
Jimmy Haslip
Dick Halligan
John Abercrombie
Tom Garvin
Billy Mitchell
Pat Kelley
Quintet of the Hot Club of San Francisco
Anton Schwartz
Randy Brecker
Steve Rudolph
Ernie Watts
Emil Richards
Matthew Von Doran
Pete Carney
Stuart Elster
Mike Campbell
Peggy Stern
Caixa
Terry Waldo
Keith Kehrer
Kush
Alex Acuña
B. D. Lenz
Joel Dilley
Bob Magnusson
Lukas Vesely
Steve Lockwood
Gary Herbig
Gary Anderson
Chris Wells
Tercet
Bill Cunliffe
Miki Petkovski
Stacie McGregor
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Alex Acuña
Born in Pativilca, Peru, 100 miles north of Lima, Alex Acuña was born into a musical family that inspired him and helped shape him as a musician. His father and five brothers were all musicians. Alex taught himself how to play the drums from the age of four. By the time Alex turned ten, he was already playing in local bands. As a teenager, he moved to Lima and became one of Peru's most accomplished session drummers, performing on many recording projects for artists, as well as film and television productions.
In Lima, Alex also earned a glowing reputation for his live performances. So much so, that at the age of eighteen, Alex was chosen by the great Latin band leader, Perez Prado, to join his big band. It was with the Prado band that Alex first traveled to the United States. In 1967, Alex moved to Puerto Rico to work as a studio musician and play locally. During this period, he also studied for three years at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, playing as a classical percussionist with the Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the famed Spanish cellist master Pablo Casals.
Alex moved to Las Vegas in 1974, where he played with such greats as Elvis Presley and Diana Ross. Between 1975 and 1977, he made part of jazz history when he became both drummer and percussionist for one of the most innovative and pioneering jazz groups of our time, Weather Report. He first performed as percussionist (October 1975 to April 1976), and later as drummer (April 1976 to October 1977). He recorded two albums with the group: "Black Market" (1976) and the highly successful "Heavy Weather" (1977), which included the famous tracks "Birdland" and "Havona." "Heavy Weather" became the first jazz-fusion album to sell a million copies.
Alex next moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1978 where he quickly earned the position of a valued session drummer and percussionist for recordings, television and motion pictures. His countless album credits include such diverse artist as U2, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston, Sergio Mendes, Yellow Jackets, Chic Corea, Julio Iglesias, Koinonia, Juan Gabriel, Luis Miguel, Placido Domingo, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul and many more. Alex has also performed live with the likes of Al Jarreau, Roberta Flack, Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Gipsy Kings, Paco de Lucia, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Christina Aguilera and Tito Puente, to name a few. Additionally, Alex has recorded film scores under the direction of Dave Grusin, Alan Silvestri, Michele Legrand, Bill Conti, Michele Colombier, Marvin Hamlish, Maurice Jarre, Mark Isham, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Lalo Schiffrin and others. He became the recipient of many awards and honors including the Emeritus MVP award from NARAS (National Academy of Recording for the Arts and Sciences) and winner of the "Best Latin/Brazilian Percussionist" of Modern Drummer's Readers Poll for five consecutive years.
Alex's South American and Caribbean roots and understanding of contemporary and classical music make him a complete and skilled master musician. In 2000, Alex Acuña y Su Acuarela De Tambores received a Grammy nomination for "Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album" for "Rhythms for a New Millennium". This solo album included varying styles of Latin, South American and African percussion. The nomination confirmed Alex's vast knowledge and expertise of percussion rhythms. Zan Stewart of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Alex Acuña is the epitome of the world music percussionist, to whom no style is a stranger". In addition, Alex has composed music for various artists and produced "Thinking of You" by Alex Acuña and the Unknowns, "Rumberos Poetry" by Tolú and "Aliyah" by Kay Silberling. This year will also see the release of Tolú's "Bongo de Van
Gogh," the Unknowns follow-up album, and several projects for NIDO Entertainment.
Alex is widely known as an educator, gifted teacher and clinician of drums and percussion. He has recorded four solo instructional videos and provides seminars at universities such as UC Los Angeles, Berklee School of Music in Boston and other top international schools of music. Yamaha Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Toca Percussion, Gibraltar, Vic Firth, Evans and Shure microphones all sponsor Alex. He is also credited with the design of Zildjian's "Azuka" line of cymbals, signature Vic Firth sticks and the caddy stick bag, the Alex Acuña Yamaha Signature Model Timbales and his own Cajon, a Peruvian-Flamenco instrument for Toca Percussion.
Available Tracks by Alex Acuña
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