Pedrito Martinez Group
The Mill — Saturday, Feb 14 at 8 p.m.
Anyone who can appreciate the passion and romance of salsa dancing will not want to miss Pedrito Martinez Group’s Valentine’s Day performance at The Mill. And we aren’t talking about casually moving to a few songs before heading home — this will be an aerobic exercise in endurance, guaranteed to work off that crème brûlée you splurged on.
The ensemble is an authentic dynamo of Afro-Cuban fusion straight from Hell’s Kitchen, and they bring the heat. If you remember seeing them at the jam session at last summer’s Iowa City Jazz Festival, you know the Mill was never infused with so much energy.
Hailing from Cuba and beginning his career at the age of 11, Pedrito Martinez has risen to highest echelon of Cuban performers through his single-pointed dedication to the folkloric traditions of his country. His resume includes recording or performing with artists like Paquito D’Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Eddie Palmieri, Bebo Valdés, Bruce Springsteen and many others. Although PMG is a small ensemble, consisting of two percussionists, a bass player and a keyboardist, every member of the group sings to fill out the sound and raise the energy.
The band has performed at major festivals and venues all over the world, including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Montreal Jazz Festival, and Bonaroo to name a few. This group bridges a nearly impossible gap in the music world by appealing to both serious musicians and casual listeners alike, delivering difficult, head-spinning rhythm passages while simultaneously inciting the throng of dancers guaranteed to hover near the bandstand. The Pedrito Martinez Group tours nationally for a reason: they are the real deal: bonafide, lip-smacking, dance-your-face-off Cuban fire.
