Biography
Few percussionists have shaped the fusion of jazz, rock, and Cuban traditions more profoundly than Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. His collaborations with jazz figures such as Dizzy Gillespie, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Michel Camilo, along with Latin rock icon Carlos Santana, established him as Afro-Cuban music's most prominent drummer. Raised in a musically rich Cuban household, he absorbed his grandfather's traditional repertoire, his father's progressive jazz selections, and the American rock broadcasts his brother captured from Miami stations. Because U.S. rock was prohibited at the time, authorities detained the thirteen-year-old Hernandez after he was discovered performing Cream covers alongside classmates from music school. El Negro advanced through Havana's recording and performance circles by working with artists including Rubalcaba and contributing to more than 300 sessions during his years in the city. Serving as house drummer for two Havana studios, he kept a mattress in a back room and sometimes remained on site for a week or longer. After gaining worldwide recognition through his association with Rubalcaba, Hernandez left Cuba for Italy with the goal of reaching New York from there. Over three years he taught at a conservatory and appeared frequently in Rome's active club circuit. When a chance to move to New York appeared, he accepted, performing club dates for fifty dollars nightly until he obtained legal work authorization. Once travel restrictions lifted, Michel Camilo offered him a position, which led to further engagements with Dave Valentin and the TropiJazz All-Stars. These partnerships placed Hernandez on several of the decade's most significant Latin jazz releases. In 1997 his role in Carlos Santana's touring ensemble brought him to large mainstream venues for the first time. His initial Grammy arrived that same year via Michel Camilo's Live at the Blue Note, honored as Best Latin Jazz Album in 2003. El Negro's first project as leader, the Grammy-nominated Italuba, appeared the following year, with Italuba II following two years later.