Percussionists
The drummers and percussionists who carry the African rhythmic heart of Cuban music — congueros, timbaleros, and drummers whose hands built the foundation everything else rests on.
Percussion is where African tradition is most directly present in Cuban music. The conga, batá, bongó, and timbales are not accompaniment — they are the music. These are the players who mastered those instruments and, in doing so, defined the rhythmic vocabulary that dancers respond to.
- Amadito Valdés — Timbales (1946)
- David Peñalosa — Percussionist, educator, author
- Giovanni Hidalgo — Conguero (1963)
- Giraldo Piloto — Drummer, bandleader (1968)
- Changuito — Drummer, percussionist (1948)
- Miguel "Angá" Díaz — Percussionist (1952–2006)
- Mongo Santamaría — Conguero, bandleader (1917–2003)
- Tata Güines — Conguero (1930–2008)
- Tito Puente — Timbales, bandleader, composer (1923–2000)