Trumpeter, vocalist, percussionist and composer, Pete Rodriguez began his musical career at the age of 11, studying at the renowned Escuela Libre de Musica in Puerto Rico. Following high school graduation, Pete was offered full scholarships to both Rice University and the elite Manhattan School of Music. Rutgers University awarded him the prestigious Ralph J. Bunch Fellowship to pursue his graduate studies and he is now finishing his DMA in jazz performance at the University of Texas at Austin. More important than Pete's formal education is his musical experience playing with some of the best musicians in the world. Pete has performed with many of Latin music's luminaries, such as Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, La India and Tito Puente, including singing on Puente's Grammy and Latin Grammy winning album, Mambo Birdland. Pete is the son of Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, a music legend in the Latin music world who gave "Lil' Pete" the responsibility of directing El Conde's 12-piece orchestra while also playing the trumpet and singing. While excelling in the Latin field, Pete was also following his love for jazz, leading him down a path that allowed him to perform with such high profile bandleaders as Eddie Palmieri, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Chico O'Farrell, and Carlos "Patato" Valdez. Recently, he toured internationally with the legendary, Grammy-winning, Afro-Cuban jazz bandleader Bebo Valdez. |
