Giovanni Hidalgo Giovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. “Mañenguito” (born November 22, 1963) is an educator, percussionist and recording artist in the genre’ of Latin jazz. Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he received his primary education. His grandfather had also been a musician, as well as his father José Manuel Hidalgo “Mañengue”, who was a renowned conga player. Therefore, Hidalgo was raised in a household surrounded by drums, bongos, congas and timbales.[1] He received a conga for his eighth birthday which had been handmade by his father. As a young child he practiced and developed his speed and playing skills on the conga and on the other instruments in his house. Hidalgo would drum a tune with sticks and then play the same tune with his hands. Musical career Hidalgo auditioned and was hired by the Batacumbele Band in 1980. In 1981, he traveled with the band to Cuba where he met a musician by the name of José Luis Quintana “Changuito”. Together they were able to create a unique style of rhythm and ushered in a new musical era in Latin music.[1][2] In 1985, Hidalgo was performing with Eddie Palmieri at The Village Gate in New York City, when the legendary jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie walked in and listened to Hidalgo play. He was so impressed with Hidalgo that he told him that someday in the future they must get together and play. In 1988 Hidalgo joined Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra.[1] In 1992, he was hired as an adjunct professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. There he taught many types of rhythms; Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, reggae, African and jazz. He held this academic position until 1996. Videos: Awards In 1991 Hidalgo received a Grammy Award in the category of world music (the first year the category existed) as part of Mickey Hart’s percussion ensemble Planet Drum for the album of the same name. He also performed on the 1993 Arturo Sandoval album Danzon (Dance On) which won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance, and received Grammy nominations in the same category for the albums Hands of Rhythm in 1997 and The Body Acoustic in 2005. In 2009 he collaborated with Hart again as part of the Global Drum Project, whose title album won the world music Grammy that year. Recordings with other musicians Among the musicians with which Hidalgo has either performed or recorded with are: Steve Gadd Alberto Barros Bola Abimbola Sikiru Adepoju Art Blakey Muruga Booker Jack Bruce Don Byron Michel Camilo Dizzy Gillespie Zaperoko Sammy Hagar Kip Hanrahan Mickey Hart Zakir Hussain Cassius Khan Charlie Palmieri Phish Tito Puente Hilton Ruiz Paul Simon D’angelo On October 31, 2010, Giovanni performed with the legendary jam rock band Phish during their special Halloween ‘musical costume’ concert. The band learned Little Feat’s “Waiting for Columbus” and performed it in its entirety along with Giovanni Hidalgo on percussion and Aaron Johnson, Stuart Bogie, Ian Hendrickson, Michael Leonhart, and Eric Biondo on brass during set two of three for the evening. He also returned along with the horn section to perform “Julius” the encore for the evening.[3] Discography 1992 – Villa Hidalgo (CD) Pimienta 1993 – Worldwide (CD) RMM 1995 – Time Shifter (CD) RMM 1997 – Hands Of Rhythm (CD) RMM 1998 – The Best of Giovanni Hidalgo (CD) RMM 2009 – “Silver Gold” (CD) Incipit With other artists 1981 – Con Un Poco De Songo – Batacumbele (CD) Disco Hit 1984 – Still Crazy – Zaperoko (CD) Montuno Records MCD-523 1985 – Few Short Notes From the End Run – Kip Hanrahan (EP – CD) Justin Time 1986 – Aqui Se Puede – Airto Moreira (CD) Montuno 1986 – Tarde en la Noche – Zaperoko (LP) Zap’s Records 1986 – Word Up! – Cameo (CD) Mercury Records 1987 – Mind Time – Dave Valentin (CD) GRP Records 1987 – Afro Caribbean Jazz – Batacumbele (CD) Montuno 1987 – Celebration – Paquito D’Rivera (CD) Columbia Records 1988 – In Concert: Live At The University Of Puerto Rico – Batacumbele (CD) Montuno 1988 – Live At The Blue Note – Dave Valentin (CD) GRP Records 1989 – Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Enja) – Dizzy Gillespie & The United Nation Orchestra 1989 – Samba De Flora – Airto Moreira (CD) Montuno 1990 – Tenderness – Kip Hanrahan (CD) Yellowbird 1990 – Reunion – Paquito D’Rivera (CD) Termidor Universal Special Imports 1990 – Abriendo Puertas – Jerry Rivera (CD) Discos CBS 1991 – Planet Drum – Mickey Hart (CD) Rykodisc 1991 – Bolivia – Freddie Hubbard (CD) Musicmasters 1992 – Pintando Lunas – Domingo Quinones (CD) RMM Records 1992 – Jazz Project – Humberto Ramirez (CD) Tropi Jazz Records 1992 – Queen Of The Night – Flora Purim (CD) Sound Wave 1992 – Manhattan Mambo Soundtrack – Hilton Ruiz (CD) Telarc Distribution 1992 – Live At Birdland – Hilton Ruiz (CD) Candid 1992 – Live At The Village Gate – Tito Puente (CD) Tropi Jazz 1993 – Golden Latin Jazz All Stars In Session – Tito Puente’s Golden Jazz All Stars (CD) RMM 1993 – Heroes – Hilton Ruiz (CD) Telarc Distribution 1993 – Paul Simon 1964-1993 – Paul Simon (CD) Warner Bros. 1993 – Danzon (Dance On) – Arturo Sandoval (CD) GRP (USA) 1993 – Aspects – Humberto Ramirez (CD) RMM 1994 – Speed Of Light – Flora Purim (CD) Meltdown/B&W Music 1994 – One More Once – Michel Camilo (CD) Columbia Records 1995 – All Roads Are Made Of The Flesh – Kip Hanrahan (CD) American Clave 1995 – Hands On Percussion – Hilton Ruiz (CD) RMM 1995 – Encounters Of The Fourth World – Fourth World (CD) Black & White Records 1996 – Evolucionando – Johnny Almendra (CD) RMM 1996 – Mickey Hart’s Mystery Box – Mickey Hart (CD) Rykodisc 1997 – Marching To Mars – Sammy Hagar (CD) Universal Special Products 1997 – Tropijazz All-Stars Volume 2 – TropiJazz All-Stars (CD) Tropi Jazz 1997 – 50 Years Of Swing – Tito Puente (CD box set) RMM 1998 – Larry Harlow’s Latin Legend Band – Larry Harlow (CD) Sony Discos 1998 – Antiguo – Gonzalo Rubalcaba (CD) Blue Note Records 1998 – Havana Blues – Armando Rodriguez (CD) Palmetto 1998 – Supralingua – Mickey Hart (CD) Ryko 1998 – Mi Forma De Sentir – Yanko (CD) RMM 1998 – God Bless The Child – Freddie Hubbard (CD) Musicmasters 1999 – Last Journey – Fourth World (CD) M.E.L.T. 2000 (Zeit) 1999 – McCoy Tyner & The Latin All-Stars – McCoy Tyner (CD) Telarc Distribution 1999 – Best Friends – Humberto Ramirez (CD) Sony Discos 2000 – Rhythms For A New Millennium – Alex Acuna (CD) Tonga Productions Inc. 2000 – Best Kept Secret – Ralph Irizarry (CD) Shanachie 2000 – Conga Kings – Candido Camero (CD) Chesky 2000 – Galeria Caribe – Ricardo Arjona (CD) Sony Music 2000 – Imprint – John Patitucci (CD) Concord Jazz 2000 – Homeless – Airto Moreira (CD) Melt 2000 (Zeit) 2001 – Drawn From Memory: Best Of Kip Hanrahan – Kip Hanrahan (CD) IN AK 2001 – Yo Por Ti – Olga Tanon (CD) Warner Bros. 2001 – TNT (Trombone-N-Tenor) – Steve Turre (CD) Telarc Distribution 2001 – Jazz Descargas – Conga Kings (CD) Chesky 2002 – Flora Purim Sings Milton Nascimento – Flora Purim (CD) Narada 2002 – Mondo Head – Kodo (CD) Red Ink 2002 – Together Again – Juan Pablo Torres (CD) MusicHaus 2002 – The Best of Mickey Hart: Over the Edge and Back – Mickey Hart (CD) Rykodisc 2002 – Live At The Playboy Jazz Festival – Tito Puente (CD) Playboy Jazz 2002 – Lo Bueno De La Vida – Orlando Poleo (CD) Sony International 2003 – Life After That – Airto Moreira (CD) Narada 2004 – Studio Recordings 1972-2000 – Paul Simon (CD) Rhino Records 2004 – Body Acoustic – Body Acoustic (CD) Chesky 2004 – Desahogo – Vico-C (CD) EMI Music Distribution 2004 – My Music, My Friends, My Time – Oskar Cartaya (CD) O.Y.E. 2004 – Como Nunca…Como Siempre – Limi-T 21 (CD) EMI Latin 2005 – Sabor Cubano – Alina Izquierdo (CD) Pimienta 2005 – Flora’s Song – Flora Purim (CD) Narada 2005 – Con Mucho Ritmo!: The Very Best Of Tropijazz (CD) Verve Records 2005 – Listen Here! – Eddie Palmieri (CD) Concord 2006 – Descarga En California – Rebeca Mauleon (CD) Pimienta 2006 – Zaperoko 3 – Zaperoko (CD) – Libertad Records 2006 – Masa Con Masa – Millo Torres (CD) Machete Music 2006 – Codes – Ignacio Berroa (CD) Blue Note 2006 – Telegrafia Sin Hilo – Changuito (CD) Cacao Musica 2007 – De Corazon A Corazon – Team Vip (CD) Union Music Group 2007 – Live At The Jazz Plaza Festival 1985 – Dizzy Gillespie (CD) MVD 2007 – Jazz, Baby! – Doug Beavers (CD) Origin Records 2007 – En Primera Plana – Isaac Delgado (CD) La Calle 2007 – 90 Millas – Gloria Estefan (CD) Solar Music Group 2007 – Afro Blue – McCoy Tyner (CD) Telarc Distribution 2008 – Canto A America Latina – Andres Jimenez (CD) Cuatro Menguante 2008 – RMM 20th Anniversary Collection Vol. 9 (CD) Universal Music Latino 2009 – Global Drum Project – Mickey Hart (CD) Shout! Factory 2009 – DOS Clasicos – Jerry Rivera (CD) Sony Music 2009 – Moving Forward – Bernie Williams (CD) Reform 2009 – Omar Garcia – Omar Garcia (CD) Warner Bros. 2011 – Mano a Mano – Michel Camilo (CD) Emarcy / Pgd 2012 – Mysterium Tremendum – Mickey Hart Band (CD) 360° Productions Filmography 1995 – Conga Virtuoso (DVD) Warner Bros. 1996 – In The Tradition (DVD) Warner Bros. 2004 – Traveling Through Time (with Horacio Hernandez) (DVD) Music Video Distributors Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Hidalgo.