Sammy Figueroa

[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_image _id=”4″ ][cs_element_image _id=”5″ ][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][cs_element_row _id=”6″ ][cs_element_column _id=”7″ ][cs_element_text _id=”8″ ][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][cs_element_row _id=”9″ ][cs_element_column _id=”10″ ][cs_element_video _id=”11″ ][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][cs_element_row _id=”12″ ][cs_element_column _id=”13″ ][cs_element_global_block _id=”14″ ][/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content][cs_content_seo]Sammy Figueroa has long been regarded as one of the world’s great musicians. As one of the music’s leading percussionists he has played on countless records and is well-known for his versatility in a multitude of musical styles. Besides playing with some of the  world’s greatest pop stars, such as David Bowie, Chaka Khan and Mariah Carey, Sammy has also played with a multitude of distinguished jazz artists including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, George Benson, and many, many more.
When Sammy plays percussion he tells a story, creating a playful conversation with other musicians
and taking the listener on a musical journey . As one of the world’s greatest congueros he is currently considere d to be the most likely candidate to inherit the mantles of Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barretto.
Sammy’s first album, “And Sammy Walked In”, included a title track written in his honor by Michel Camillo. Three more albums followed: “The Magician”, “Urban Nature” and “Imaginary World”. All three of these albums are notable for brilliant compositions and arrangements by Venezuelan composer/musicians Silvano Monasterios on piano and Gabriel Vivas on bass. “And Sammy Walked In” and “The Magician” have both been honored with the Grammy
Nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album.
In addition to his own albums, Sammy has also co-produced several important jazz and world music albums with the award-winning world music producer Rachel Faro. Notable productions include two albums with the phenomenal Cuban a cappella group Vocal Sampling (Sire/Elektra), ‘Celebremos Navidad’ with Fania cuatro hero Yomo Toro (Ashe) and ‘Talisman’, a celebration of Brazilian song and Latin percussion with singer Glaucia Nasser (Savant/Highnote).
In a departure from his usual energetic and ‘hot’ Latin jazz approach, in 2014 Sammy recorded and released “Memory of Water”, a new age album of Sammy playing the eclectic
and celestial-sounding Hangpan.[/cs_content_seo]