Rafael Monteagudo (Drummer/Percussionist) arrived in the US in 2000 from Havana, Cuba. His areas of focus include jazz, funk, fusion, Latin Jazz, and Afro-Cuban. He plays drumset, timbales, congas, bata, and bongos. It was the thriving musical environment that he came from that inspired him to play drums at the young age of eight. He grew up in Cayo Hueso, a neighborhood in Havana that has produced some of the most famous Cuban musicians. The musical traditions in Cayo Hueso are rich in both popular and folkloric music. It was through sharing the strong African traditions that are inherent in Cuban culture that Rafael gained such a wide range of styles.
Rafael continued his studies at the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) in Havana. While in Cuba, Mr. Monteagudo had the opportunity to work with some of the best-known Cuban jazz and folkloric groups, including Calle 42, Eddy Mesa, jazz quartet Carisma and the Conjunto Folklorico of the Univeristy of Havana to name a few. He also performed at various prestigious festivals such as the Havana Jazz Festival and Cuba Disco.
Since Rafeal has been in the US, he has performed in such venues as Blues Alley, the Smithsonian Institute, Kennedy Center, the Sedona Jazz Festival on the Rocks, Artscape, and the Cherry Blossom Festival. He has toured with the Washington Ballet and Walter Bell. He has shared the stage with Roy Hargrove, Dave Koz, T.S. Monk, Lou Volpe (prior musical director for Herbie Mann) among others. He has also worked with various production groups, such as GALA Hispanic Theater, the In Series, and the youth of Soul y Sol.
Mr. Monteagudo teaches regularly at the Latin American Folk Institute in Maryland as well as offers master percussion seminars at universities and music schools. He has given workshops at Coppin State University, University of Richmond, the Levine School of Music, Loyola College, George Mason University, the Baltimore International Rhythm and Drumming Society, and the International Scholars Conference in Washington, DC. Rafael’s percussion workshops include drum set techniques, applying Afro�”Cuban rhythms to jazz, hand drums, and the various styles of Afro-Cuban music.
Rafael has just released his first instructional DVD “Clave in Modern Drumset Playing”. This is the first in a series of videos that incorporates many of the African and Afro-Cuban rhythms, including those played on congas and batas that he grew up with. The unique twist that Rafael adds is how to play these rhythms on the drum set. This allows drummers to gain interdependence in playing using a new method that can bring excitement to their practice.
You may have seen Rafael in AOL’s promotional video, “Good to Grow” (EFX Media 2004) or in Covering Cuba, a DVD documentary produced by AB Independent Productions in 2004. You also may have seen Rafael on Public Access Television’s presentation of Takoma Park JazzFest.
Rafael’s recent recordings include CDs with Walter Bell, Gylchris Sprauve, Dave Kline, TimbaSon, Patrick Alban (Ojos Verdes with members of Gloria Estefan’s band), and Bernard Marinovitch. Rafael was featured in Modern Drummer in October 2004. He uses and is endorsed by Sabian cymbals and Kaman Music/Toca Percussion.
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