The Band
The Afro-Cuban All Stars is a unique orchestra that has always been devoted to promoting the full range of Cuban music, one that embraces several generations and all musical styles. Over the years many of the band’s musicians have become international stars, including brilliant performers such as Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Guillermo Rubalcava, and Manuel "The Guajiro" Mirabal.

The genesis of the Afro-Cuban All Stars has its roots early in the 1990s. At this time the son ensemble Sierra Maestra, headed by Juan de Marcos, received a lot of international exposure. As a consequence, de Marcos was introduced to Nick Gold, president of World Music Records (at that time a small independent world music label). That encounter led to a couple of very successful tours in Europe. Later the group went to London and recorded Dundumbanza, considered one of the jewels of the world music scene of the early ‘90s. (In retrospect, this recording opened the doors to the further incredible boom of the traditional Cuban music of the period.)

Months later, de Marcos got the go-ahead to do an album celebrating the classic Cuban sound of the ‘50s – a recording whose personnel would feature many great musicians that de Marcos knew. An agreement reached, the plan was to prepare two projects: one featuring a Cuban big band, the other record favoring a more traditional sound reminiscent of the acoustic style of Nico Saquito or Portabales.

In March of 1996 they recorded the album A toda Cuba le Gusta, featuring nearly 60 performers. Then, with the addition of celebrated artists such as Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa, and legendary American guitarist Ry Cooder, what became the legendary Buena Vista Social Club CD was recorded. Finally, with low budget and only during two live sessions and with simple orchestrations carried out at the studio by de Marcos, they also recorded the first solo album of Rubén González, Introducing Ruben Gonzalez. This was destined to be one of the most successful of the “Buena Vista” series of recordings.

During the spring of 1997 and along with the release in Europe of the three albums, de Marcos and a select group of stellar musicians started touring all over the continent under the banner of a band christened the "Afro-Cuban All Stars." The original line up, familiar from the records, included Ruben González and Guillermo Rubalcava (piano), Orlando López (bass), Amadito Valdés (timbale), Carlos González and Roberto Valdés (bongos & cuban percussion), Ángel Terry (congas), Daniel Ramos, Alejandro Pichardo y “Guajiro” Mirabal (trumpets), Alberto “Molote” Martínez and Jesús “Aguaje” Ramos (trombones) and, Raúl Planas, Manuel Licea, Pío Leiva, Ibrahim Ferrer and Félix Baloy (lead singers).

After several years of tremendous and unexpected success – including four Grammy nominations, being the subject of several documentaries and films, and being recipients of many other distinctions – the All Stars are certainly the best-known and successful Cuban orchestra after Los Van Van and Irakere.

The Afro-Cuban All Stars has also opened the doors to a new generation by incorporating young musicians into the band. With The Afro-Cuban All Stars, de Marcos has developed a concept moreso than simply creating a band. His approach has allowed him to expand its creative range by incorporating contemporary styles of Cuban music; as well, a fluid approach to adjusting the orchestra’s line-up by changing or adding musicians as appropriate has made it easier to best reflect the different styles of music from the various periods that the band features. The Afro-Cubans are the same orchestra that can be seen in those distinct performances captured in the famous Oscar-nominated Buena Vista Social Club documentary by Wim Wenders, the Tony Knox documentary Salon of Dreams, or the DVDs Live in Japan or Live in The Hague.

In 2002, de Marcos founded his own independent label, DM Ahora! Records, with which he released the Afro-Cuban All Stars’ albums Live in Japan and Step Forward (which was Grammy nominated in 2006). He also released A Diario (Telmary) and Goza Pepillo (Interactivo), projects that represent a new generation of Cuban music, one that fuses hip-hop with contemporary Cuban genres. More recently de Marcos, along with his wife Gliceria Abreu, has founded, GG and LL, a musical production company based in Mexico City that aims to create a space for the new Latin American Music, especially that interpreted by songwriters.

The recent plans for the Afro-Cuban All Stars include the recording this year of the albums Breaking the Rules & Step Backward. This documents de Marcos’ latest project, where he has gathered the most remarkable expatriate Cuban musicians from around the world. This new version of the Afro-Cuban All Stars started touring internationally from February 2009 and its debut was in the United States, Europe, Japan, Singapore and Canada.


Alberto Martinez
Alberto Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1958, and studied his instrument since the age of 9 years old with the Maestro Angel Martinez (his father), lead trumpet of The National Concert Band of Cuba. His first steps as a professional took place at his fourteen. In 1978, integrates the famous Roberto Faz Ensemble with which conducts national and international tours. In 1991 emigrated to Ecuador where he settled for a year and is part of the OTIS Festival Orchestra. In this country toured with the famous singers Armando Manzanero, Nelson Ned, Olga Guillot, Lucho Gatica, Roberto Ledesma, etc., keeping at the same time his own show at the Great Continental Hotel of Guayaquil. In 1992 arrives to New York City, becoming a member of The Perfect Combination Orchestra where he worked with salsa superstars such as Oscar de Leon, La India, Johnny Rivera, Tito Nieves, Jose Alberto (El Canario), Celia Cruz, Franky Ruiz, Domingo Quinones, Mike Frankle, Perfect Negron, Brenda STAR, Mike Stuart, DLG , Conjunto Clasico, Chayanne, etc. Along his career, Martinez has recorded for Jennifer Lopez, Thalia, Donato Poveda, etc., plus several albums for Mark Anthony which whom he worked for 13 years.  Alberto has played all major events and festivals of the world, including several Latin Grammies, Grammies Awards, VH1 Divas, HBO Specials, etc., and had toured extensively Central America, South America, Europe and Asia.


Alberto Pantaleon Loran
Multi-instrumentalist Alberto Pantaleon Hernandez was born in Havana in March of 1966. His first teacher was his father, the great composer, arranger and songwriter Alberto Hernandez. Pantaleon studied classical guitar at the National School of Arts and Bass and Double Bass at the Conservatory Ignacio Cervantes. Later, playing with the regional band of his hometown, he learned the secrets of the tenor trombone, the tuba and the bombardon. The prodigiously talented Pantaleon plays twelve different instruments at a professional level.

In Cuba, Pantaleon performed with several first-line bands, including Yakos and the Juan Pablo Torres Ensemble. Fifteen years ago he moved to Mexico City, where he’s collaborated, performed, and recorded with great artists such as Armando Manzanero, Eugenia Leon, Celio Gonzalez, Denisse de Kalaff, Amaury Gutierrez, Enmanuel, Diego El Cigala, Manuel Mijares, Orlando “Maraca” Valle, Willie Colon, Chucho Valdes, Jose Luis “Changuito” Quintana, and Osmani Paredes.


Calixto Oviedo
Renowned percussionist Calixto Oviedo was seemingly born to play the drums. Born in Havana in 1955, the musically precocious Oviedo first experimented with drumsticks when he was two years old and at the tender age of four had started to perform with the Parisien Cabaret Orchestra at Havana’s Hotel Nacional. He also appeared with the Cuban Radio & TV Orchestra, sharing the stage with some of the more important Cuban musicians of the period such as Ruben Gonzalez, Manuel "El Guajiro" Mirabal, Jorge Varona, Amadito Valdes Sr. and Leonardo Timor. Four years later Oviedo started his music instruction at the conservatory Alejandro Garcia Caturla, continuing later at the National High School of Arts (many of his fellow schoolmates also went onto musical fame, including Paquito D’ Rivera, Ignacio Berroa, Jose Luis Cortes, and Jorge Luis Prats).

Throughout his career Oviedo has played with many important Cuban ensembles and artists: Arturo Sandoval, Chucho Valdes, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Emiliano Salvador, Ralph Irizarri, Pacho Alonso, Adalberto y su Son, Isaac Delgado, etc. He has also shared the stage with a dazzling roster of international artists that includes Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, David Sanchez, Sting, Luciano Pavarotti, James Brown, Manu Dibango, Dave Valentin, Chico Freeman, and Manhattan Transfer. Oviedo’s discography is equally prolific and diverse, including sessions with Pacho Alonso, Adalberto Alvarez, Malena Bourke, NG La Banda, Isaac Delgado, and many more. Oviedo’s own releases include his solo albums La Recompensa and Calixto’s Way and the instructional video Rhythms of Cuba.

Based in Sweden and Spain since 2000, Oviedo currently leads his own jazz quartet. This in-demand drummer also teaches at The Tokyo University, Berklee College, Helsinki Music School, Copenhagen Rhythmic Conservatory, Stockholm Musik Hoskolan and The Coruna Music School in Spain.


Emilio Suarez
A bandleader, singer, guitarist and composer, Emilio Suárez was born into one of Havana’s most musical families. Aside from the singing talents of his mother and grandmother, Suárez was related to the great guitarist Luis Ortega and the Cuban superstar “Nino” Rivera, perhaps the best contemporary son arranger of the late ‘50s and definitely the architect of the advanced “tres” approach. It was Ortega who taught Suárez the basic guitar chords and sequences and introduced him to the interpretive style that characterizes the players with the best feel for their instrument. And with that background and considering his natural talent for music, the family unhesitatingly sent Suárez to the Conservatory Guillermo Tomas.

After making some important professional appearances at Cuban festivals, Suárez sought further musical instruction at the Conservatory Ignacio Cervantes. Soon he was backing great singers like Elsita Rivero, Aldo Lamas, and jazz singer Mayra Caridad Valdes (Chucho’s sister) and was also sharing the stage with musicians of the caliber of his uncle Luis Ortega, Elena Bourke, Felipe Dulzaides, Nico Rojas, Frank Dominguez, and Gema Corredera.

Long acknowledged as one of the best of Cuba’s expatriate musicians, Suárez has, for more than fifteen years, lived in Mexico City. This much sought-after musician performs at the major Mexican festival events and the best clubs, working with top bandleaders and songwriters such as Willie Colon, Cachao Lopez, Carrasco, Otra Idea, Francisco “Pancho” Cespedes, Amaury Gutierrez, and David Torrens. Suárez also remains an incredibly prolific and successful composer with more than 70 great songs to his credit.


Evelio Galan
Considered as one of the finest Cuban singers, Evelio Galan has been performing for over 45 years and represents the classic “soneros” generation, yet with a new flavour. Famed for his skilled interpretations as much as for his vast vocal range, Galan currently entertains audiences all over Europe.

Born in Havana, Galan started his career as a young singer for the Pikins at the Columna Juvenil and with the late maestro Tata Güines and his Tatagüinitos Ensemble. Galan turned professional a few years later, simultaneously taking further singing and musical theory studies at the Ignacio Cervantes Music School in Havana. Remarkable teachers such as Graciela Morejon and Irma Larin shaped his talented young voice into that of a true professional. Galan “graduated” by being selected as the main singer for the prestigious Juvenia Orchestra.

Soon performing in Cuba’s top cabarets, the young “sonero” continue to grow technically as he acquired more stage experience. Aside from being a key member of the renowned Orquesta Riverside, Galan sang alongside Cuba’s greatest soloists and orchestras of the 1970s and ‘80s: Pacho Alonso, Enrique Jorrin, Orquesta Aragon and many others.

Galan eventually earned an international reputation, playing at many festivals around the world. He shared the stage with superstars such as Jose Feliciano, Grupo Niche, Alfredo de la Fe and Manhattan Transfer, earning the admiration and respect of those who heard him. Long-since established as one of the truest voices of Afro-Cuban jazz, Galan is based in Dublin, Ireland. Busier than ever, he is the principal singer with the Cuban Orishas Orchestra as well as performing regularly with Habana Son, Impacto Cubano and Hatuey. Galan also conducts workshops in Cuban music in a Dublin college. A true cultural ambassador for the unique musical traditions of Cuba, the versatile Galan has a sound both classic and contemporary.


Gabriel Hernandez (Piano)
Gabriel Hernandez Cadenas was born in Camaguey, Cuba on July 16, 1964, and started his piano education at seven years old at the "Luis Casas Romero" Music Conservatory in Camaguey. At fifteen he completed his theory and professional pianist education and also received the EGREM-AWARD (Recordings and Musical Edition National Company) for the best Musical Orquestration of annual recordings. He has been involved in the well-know "Jazz-Plaza" festivals presented annually in Havana, Cuba, which led to becoming a member of the Leon Thomas, Roy Hargrove  and Dizzy Gillespie musical groups. With these bands he performed all over the world specially in many international Jazz Festivals, including Montreaux, Montreal, Jazz Jamboree (Poland) Jazz Danubio, North Sea Jazz, Nice, Juan les Pins, London Jazz Fest, Leverkusen (Cologne-Munich-Germany), Jazz Fest Ottawa, Toronto, Bencomo (Canada) as well as concerts in Budapest, Madrid, Guadalupe and Martinica, Moscow, etc.

Gabriel Hernandez is together with Gonzalo Rubalcava, Chucho Valdes, Nachito Herrera and the deceased Emiliano Salvador, one of the gurus of the Cuban Jazz Piano.


Gliceria Abreu
Havana-born Gliceria Abreu graduated as an agronomic engineer at the Universidad Agricola de La Habana in 1980. After many years of experience as the lead engineer of several projects in Cuba and other countries, and gaining new degrees in marketing, promotion and business administration, she focused on music. Married to Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, Abreu became his general manager and supervised all of his projects, starting in 1990 with the remarkable son band, Sierra Maestra.

Abreu has been the executive producer of several Grammy-nominated albums by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, including A Toda Cuba le Gusta, Bajando Gervasio, and Step Forward. Her work was also decisive for the production of other important albums of the late ‘90s such as the seminal Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club presents Ibrahim Ferrer, and Introducing Ruben Gonzalez. In fact, Abreu was the person who personally gathered all musicians for the famous Buenavista Social Club sessions in March of 1996, and for two years was the general manager and the road manager during the first and decisive period of performances for that project.

As the administration head of Ruben Gonzalez and Ibrahim Ferrer Ensemble from 1997 to 2000 and the Afro-Cuban All Stars since 1997 up to the present, Abreu has performed at the most important theaters, festivals and venues of the world. She runs her own production company and recording studio in Mexico City.


Gliceria Gonzalez (Keyboards, Vibes & Vocalist)
Glicy Gonzalez is one of the youngest cuban orchestral conductors, graduated of the Havana Conservatory has studied with reknowned masters such as Guido Lopez Gavilan, Octavio Lopez Marin, Gonzalo Romeu, Marklen Belenko and Svetlana Logonova.

Besides beeing a great choral conductor, lyric soprano and pianist, she is also a great popular musician. Along his short career Gliceria has performed with musicians of the caliber of Dave Alfaro, Ruben Gonzalez and Ibrahim Ferrer, and has recorded various albums including the backing vocals for the last three productions of his father, Juan de Marcos. Internationally, Gliceria has performed succesfully at several symphonic and jazz festivals, including Montreaux, Nice, Berlin, London, The Hague’s North Sea, etc.


Jose ‘Pepito’ Espinosa
Considered one of the most important Cuban percussionists of his generation, Jose “Pepito” Espinosa was born in Havana in 1974. He began his musical studies at the age of four with his father, the great Cuban percussionist, Pepin Drum. Later, he continued his studies at the Conservatory Adolfo Guzman. Being an infant prodigy, Espinosa started his professional career when he was only 12 years old as the bongo player of the renowned Conjunto Saratoga.

After his debut gig in 1986, it was only a few years later that Espinosa began to be considered one of the most important players of the newest Cuban generation. He was a leading member of the select club of Cuba’s session musicians, recording with the maestros Jose Manuel Ceruto, German Velazco, and Joaquin Betancourt.

Throughout a rich and flourishing career, Espinosa has played with some of the Latin world’s top musicians and bands, including Ana Belen, Lolita Flores, Pablo Milanes, Jerry Gonzalez, Tito Nieves, Henry Fiol, Tony Vega, Cano Estremera, Frank Emilio Flynn, Grupo Niche, and Cubanismo. In Cuba during the 1990s he also performed with top non-traditional bands such as Klimax, Bamboleo, and Azucar Negra.

Based in Spain and Sweden for the last five years, Espinosa currently leads his own band. He has performed on more than 40 CDs in Cuba and abroad, and is a stellar example of why Cuban percussion is still considered the best in the world.


José Gil Pinera
A singer, composer and bandleader, José Gil Pinera was born in Havana, Cuba. Ever since he was a child, Pinera had been surrounded by music and long-time idols Benny Moré, Oscar D' Leon, Celia Cruz and Van Van have profoundly influenced his aspirations as a musician.  

Pinera’s first professional job was with Salsa de Esquina, one of Cuba’s most important “Timba Bands” of the early 1990s. With this ensemble he quickly became popular with the young generation of dancers and performed on Cuban TV and at the most important nightclubs.

During this time Pinera was also making extensive tours of Europe and South America, specially Chile and Sweden. He shared the stage with many important international artists such as Juan Luis Guerra, La Orquesta de La Luz, and El General. Aside from performing at numerous jazz and Latin festivals, this talented vocalist was also busy appearing on several albums.

In 1993 he moved to Sweden, wasting no time before creating his own band, Gilito y su Clave. Pinera has now released four solo albums and participated in more than 70 recordings for different bands. He’s also performed at the most important events in Europe, including the festivals of Roskilde, Falun, and Malmo. Pinera’s latest CD, Al Cesar lo que es del Cesar, is the best- selling “world music” recording in Sweden these days.


Juan de Marcos Gonzalez
Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, a central figure in Cuban music for three decades, has set himself a lifetime mission: to show the wealth, diversity and vitality of Cuban music to the world. His work with supergroups and incredible artists such as the Afro-Cuban All Stars, the Buena Vista Social Club, Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Sierra Maestra and others has had extraordinary success in introducing the whole range of Cuban music around the globe.

Juan de Marcos was born in Havana in 1954 and grew up surrounded by music (his father was a singer and played with the great Arsenio Rodriguez, among others). He studied classical guitar at the Havana Conservatory and privately with the great maestros Vicente Gonzalez and Leopoldina Nunez. He also took courses in contemporary harmony and orchestral conducting.  While at university in the mid-‘70s he co-founded the group Sierra Maestra. Styled as a traditional Cuban septeto group (tres, trumpet, bass, percussion, and vocals), the dynamic young band's aim was to bring about an appreciation of the Cuban son by the youth of the island who tended to shun such “old fashioned” music. The band achieved great success, recording 14 albums in Cuba, Africa and Europe, touring many countries, and receiving various awards.

Although music was a great love, de Marcos returned to university to study hydraulic engineering as well as the Russian and English languages. He worked as a professor at the Agronomic Havana University, gaining his doctorate in 1989. Once again, though, de Marcos found himself drawn powerfully back to the world of music.

In 1994, he began his association with the London-based record label World Circuit, when his Sierra Maestra band recorded the album Dundunbanza. For this recording the group expanded its line-up to include piano, congas and a trumpet section: it was a tribute to the legendary Arsenio Rodriguez, whose style dominated the ‘40s and ‘50s. Following up on this success, de Marcos made a big band recording in Havana that featured neglected stars from the “golden age” of Cuban music.

Things really took off a few years later when de Marco’s signature group, The Afro-Cuban All Stars, released A toda Cuba le gusta (which was Grammy-nominated in 1998). This was the first album to be recorded during the now-legendary Buena Vista Social Club sessions, and de Marcos' band proved to be a springboard for the success that followed. Following the album’s release, Juan de Marcos led the Afro-Cuban All Stars and The Ruben Gonzalez Ensemble on their debut European and U.S. tours and directed the Buena Vista Social Club during the only concerts of the original line-up at top theatres such as Le Carre in Amsterdam, New York's Carnegie Hall and, more recently, at Mexico’s Auditorio Nacional.

Never content to take things easy, de Marcos continues to develop promising new ideas for Cuban music, which is evolving in exciting ways. In 2005, he masterminded the most promising development from Cuba for the new millennium with his innovative new labels: DM Ahora! Records, and GG and LL Records. His first releases – Step Forward by the Afro-Cuban All Stars (Grammy-nominated), Goza Pepillo by Interactivo, and A Diario by Telmary – are both a snapshot of where one of Cuba’s top musical creators is at right now as well as a blueprint for the future of Cuban music. As de Marcos himself says: “We have to use all the heritage of Cuban music to create a sound of the future. It’s important to have that continuity and to fight for our identity.”

During his career, de Marcos has arranged, conducted, produced or co-produced more than 25 albums. His work with the Afro-Cuban All Stars has been nominated for four Grammies, and the band is hailed by jazz bible Downbeat Magazine for its continued excellence. De Marcos has been responsible for creating and producing some of the most important and seminal recordings of 20th century Cuban music.


Laura Lydia Gonzalez (Bass & Bb Clarinet)
Laura Lydia was born in Havana, Cuba, in a family of musicians. His grandad, Marcos Gonzalez was one of the lead singers of the legendary Arsenio Rodriguez during the late forties, his dad is Juan de Marcos Gonzalez and his uncle grandfather, the great pianist Ruben Gonzalez. Gratuated as a clarinetist at the Havana Conservatory, she is actually ending his College Level Studies at the prestigious Ollin Yoliztli College in Mexico City, where also frequently performs with several Camera and Symphonic Orchestras and Latin bands. Besides beeing and excellent clarinetist, Laura also plays Piano, sings and arranges.

Along her short career, Laura has performed at many important events and festivals, including The Notth Sea Jazz, Glastonbury, Roskilde, Singapore SUN Festival, Montreaux, etc. She’s also recorded in many albums including the Grammy nominees Step Forward and Bajando Gervasio.


Miguelito Valdes
Miguelito Valdes is considered to be one of the most highly regarded Cuban trumpet players of his generation. Valdes began a serious study of music when he was just 11 years old. In 1992 he got his first professional gig with a group called Jelengue. Since then, he has played with many of Cuba's top performers, including the Cabaret Tropicana Orchestra, Chucho Valdes, and Havana Ensemble. For six years he toured internationally with renowned vocalist Omara Portuondo, and has also performed extensively with Ibrahim Ferrer and The Buena Vista Social Club.

Aside from Cuban music, Valdes has developed a serious jazz career – he has played with important jazz musicians such as Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, Danilo Perez, and Wallace Roney. The in-demand Valdes has also appeared on more than 50 CDs, in Cuba and abroad. Many of the albums he recorded have been award winners, and some are considered jewels of contemporary Cuban and/or world music. Some of the highlights of his discography include: La Rumba Soy Yo, Cuban Rumba All Stars, 2000; Pablo Querido, Tribute to Pablo Milanes 2002; Flor de Amor, Omara Portuondo, 2004; Impacto Cubano, Carlos Del Puerto, 2005; Chucho Valdes y la Sinfonica Nacional, Chucho Valdes, 2005; and Prohibido, Isaac Delgado, 2005.

Since 2005 Valdes has lived in Vancouver, Canada where he is very involved in the local music scene and runs his own jazz club.


Jose Antonio "Tony" Moreaux
José Antonio Moreaux Charon "Tony" was born in 1977, in Guantanamo , Cuba. His father is a changui singer in Guantanamo. Changui represents the roots and the identity of the Guantanamo people. Tony followed his father's footsteps as a musician at a very early age. He began his studies at the Regino E. Boti elementary music school in Guantanamo and later at the Esteban Salas Conservatory and the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana. In 1998 he went to Havana and started his musical career as a professional drum player making his debut in a group called "Carlos Manuel y Su Clan".

Although an already noted musician, Tony tried continuously to improve. Therefore, in Denmark he began attending the Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium, The Rhytmic Music Conservatory, where he aimed achieving professional qualifications  as a music performer and music educator with special focus on ensemble instruction and instrumental tuition - BA Movement and Music Education.

Along his career he has played and recorded with many important musicians such as Raul Rekow, Alex Wilson, Chucho Valdes, Gonzalo Rubalcava, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Sverre, Orlando "Maraca" Valle, etc. His discography includes, besides Carlos Manuel y su Klan, Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Afro-Cuban All Stars, etc.

Throughout his career, Tony has demonstrated a strong sense of character: he is disciplined, respectful, mannered, not to mention talented. By virtue of his warm and flamboyant stage manner, Tony has grown into a strong drummer and earned his recognition in the Jazz and Salsa community. Gifted with an innate musicality and expressivity, Tony is a rousing performer, with a deep-rooted grasp of tradition, which helps him gain respect among Afro-Cuban Music purists.


Yoanny Pino
Yoanny Pino was born in Havana, Cuba, on March 1977. He began his music sudies very early at the Conservatorio Guillermo Tomas in Guanabacoa and later at The Conservatorio Amadeo Roldan. After graduated, worked with  Oscar Valdes's Diakara, Estrellas de Chocolate, Haila Mompie's Azucar Negra, Dennys y su Swing and other afro-cuban and salsa bands in Havana, touring USA, Europe and Asia. In 1995 moved to Mexico where regularly performs for top pop, jazz and tropical bands such as Orquesta 40 Grados, Joan Sebastian, Enanitos Verdes, Cano Estremera, Olga Tanon, Los Bunkers, Patty Manterola, Rocio Durcal, Grupo Kole, Grupo Otra Idea, etc.

Particularly doted for the improvisation, Yoanny is today one of the most coveted session musicians in his city.