Biography
Juan Jose Hernandez joins forces with his ensemble San Juan-Habana to advance a natural salsa fusion grounded in son, drawing on traditions from both Cuba and Puerto Rico. Though skilled as a performer, composer, and orchestrator who has appeared with various ensembles across the two islands, Hernandez earns most of his acclaim through songs that have been recorded by artists including Gilberto Santarrosa, Elvis Crespo, and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Among these works is “Arroz con Habichuela,” written expressly for the last-named group; the track served as the title cut of their 2006 release and brought Hernandez a Latin Grammy nomination for Song of the Year in 2007. His debut album fronting a band, also titled San Juan-Habana, appeared in 2008 and featured the single “Mar y Tierra,” which reached the Top 40 of Billboard’s Latin Tropical Airplay chart that year.
Albums