Abraham Mansfaroll

Percussionist, born in 1974 in Guantánamo, Cuba. He studied at the Regino Boti School in Guantánamo with Nelson Betancourt. He then joined the National Art School of Havana where he will hold the Golden Diploma of Music, then the Higher Institute of Art in Psychology and Pedagogy of Cuban Percussion Education which he will later become the percussion teacher. In 1997 he obtained the Gold Diploma of Music Teacher and also won the first prize in the symphonic duos and percussion competition in Havana. After winning several awards in Havana, his native country, and after an internship in 1998 with Wynton Marsalis, he participated as a percussionist of Cuban flutist group Orlando "Maraca" Valle Y Otra Visión, at various Festivals: in Havana, Vitoria (Spain), Switzerland, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco. He was professor of percussion at the Higher Institute of the Arts in Cuba, until March-July 2002 where he came on tour in France with Las Hermanas Faez and Casa de la Trova. He continues in various countries a regular collaboration with musicians and formations such as the Cuban trumpet player Tito Puentes, the violinist Line Kruse, the Cuban singer Niuver Navarro, the Mexican singer Yolanda Preciado, the quartet La Batea, Afrekete (group of Cuban traditional music and dance), Sabor A Son, Tumbao Y Trombón, Pan 'A Paname Steal Band, Paris Salsa All Stars, Henri Guédon, the pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, Ensemble Nord-Sud, Dany Brillant, Miguel Gomez, The Caritini Jazz Ensemble, Frapadingos, among others. He has also participated in the recording of a dozen CDs under various labels in Cuba, France or Brazil. From the beginning of the school year 2004 he was professor of percussion at the Conservatory of Saint-Cloud, professor of drums at the École Nationale de Musique of Mantes la Jolie and in 2005 teacher of Improvement at CEFEDEM. In 2005 he went on tour with Latin Groove in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Germany. Since January 2006 he was a percussionist in Rumbabierta and their project with Julien Lourau (Label Bleu release in 2007) and accompanied Charles Aznavour in his concerts in Japan.