Giovanni Hidalgo

Bio

Giovanni Hidalgo is a Puerto Rican percussionist and educator, widely regarded as one of the foremost conga players in contemporary Latin music. Born in San Juan in 1963, he began performing professionally as a teenager and quickly gained recognition for his technical mastery and rhythmic innovation. Throughout his career, Hidalgo has collaborated with jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, and McCoy Tyner, as well as Latin-music icons including Eddie Palmieri and Carlos "Patato" Valdés. His playing fuses Afro-Cuban traditions with jazz sensibilities, and he is equally at home in small-group settings and large ensembles. In addition to his performing work, Hidalgo is an influential teacher who has conducted master classes worldwide and served on the faculty of the Berklee College of Music. His recordings as a leader and sideman have helped define modern Afro-Cuban jazz percussion.