Julio Barreto

Julio Cesar Barreto Pénie (born September 19, 1967 in Guanabacoa , Havana ) is a Cuban jazz drummer and percussionist.

Live and act

Barreto grew up in a musical family (an uncle was a pianist for Louis Armstrong and a composer for Benny Moré ). At the age of seven he was introduced to the music of his homeland and his talent was encouraged at an early age. At the age of twelve he was already playing on public occasions.

In 1983 Baretto began his classical studies at the “Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán”, which he successfully completed after six instead of nine years. In the next few years he worked with Laurindo Almeida , Xiomara Laugart, Alfredo Rodríguez and the group Cuarto Espacio by Omar Hernandez. In 1991 he became a member of Gonzalo Rubalcaba's ensemble , with whom he stayed for seven years and went on several world tours; He played with the bassists Felipe Cabrera, Ron Carter , Charlie Haden , Miroslav Vitouš , John Patitucci and Buster Williams . Two of the five albums he recorded with Rubalcaba were Grammy nominations ( Rapsodia and Antiguo ).

At the end of 1995 Barreto founded his own trio (with Antonio Pérez and Manuel Orza) and in 1997 his Cuban Quartet , with which he released his first album under his own name in 1999. In 1997 he became a member of Roy Hargroves Crisol All Stars , who recorded a noted CD in 1998. He continued to record with Sophia Domancich , David Sánchez , Chucho Valdés , Steve Coleman , Stephan Kurmann , Adam Taubitz and Daniel Pezzotti . He also works with Ann Malcolm , Katia Labèque and Dado Moroni ,

Barreto lives in Switzerland and has been a lecturer at the Basel University of Music since 2001, majoring in jazz drums and percussion.

Discographic notes

• Iyabó (1997, with Ravi Coltrane , Carlos Puig, Dany Martinez, Manuel Orza)

Web links

• Brief portrait (JazzIndex)
• Portrait (Drummerworld)