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carlos adames
About Me
Carlos Adames is a widely acclaimed percussionist known for his explosive soloing and inventive conga patterns, and a composer, arranger and educator who has worked professionally all over the Western Hemisphere and Europe.
As a live and session musician, Mr. Adames has performed with numerous international artists including Willie Colón, Paquito D'Rivera, Oswaldo Ayala (multiple Grammy Award-winners), Eugenia León, Elizabeth Mesa (Judge of Latin American Idol), and Enrique Nery, just to name a few. He has held teaching positions at the Universidad Cristóbal Colón and The Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico, The San Antonio College, Palo Alto College and North West Vista College in the United States, and Oldenburg Universität in Germany.
Mr. Adames was born into a musical family that inspired him and helped shape him as a musician, and he began playing the drums at the age of six. His South American and Caribbean roots combined with his understanding of contemporary and classical music make him a complete and skilled master
musician. Mr. Adames studied Percussion at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes of Mexico and the Cultural Institute of Panamá, Republic of Panamá as well as with world known percussionists such as Alex Acuña, Endel Dueño, Jesús Alfonso Miró (Musical Director of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas), Lamim Thiam, and many others.
Mr. Adames is committed to the development of conga playing, breaking down traditional percussion barriers to perform Latin rhythms, jazz, jungle, funk and hip-hop while retaining his distinctly Latin roots. His musical journey is a personal quest to explore and create new sounds and rhythmic fusions, and his playing is characterized by innovation, energy and pure heart.
