Sammy Figueroa and His Latin Jazz Explosion

There's a long list of big names percussionist Sammy Figueroa has played with, including Miles Davis, David Bowie, and Mariah Carey. Born in Brooklyn, Figueroa began his musical career performing in Bobby Valentin's band when he was eighteen, shortly before founding the Brazilian/Latin-fused band Raices, which brought Figueroa his first...

By JAKE NELSON

September 7, 2006

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There's a long list of big names percussionist Sammy Figueroa has played with, including Miles Davis, David Bowie, and Mariah Carey. Born in Brooklyn, Figueroa began his musical career performing in Bobby Valentin's band when he was eighteen, shortly before founding the Brazilian/Latin-fused band Raices, which brought Figueroa his first taste of success, leading to tours with the Brecker Brothers and recordings with Davis. Figueroa recently relocated to Miami to front his new band, Sammy Figueroa and His Latin Jazz Explosion, whose debut album And Sammy Walked In earned a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album last year. The Explosion also garnered a reputation for its entertaining live show, which features musical performances creative and energetic enough to suggest that maybe the band's name isn't so far off.

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