Jerry Medina y La Banda: striking and cheerful

The training and education of Jerry Medina is as diverse as his music. He grew up in New York listening to his mother Lydia Ortega playing the trumpet, while at the same time I listened to the Gospel singers in churches. Their education is equally diverse.
In addition to studying music with both her mother and Luis González Peña, Jerry holds a degree in agriculture and Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico and completed a special program of business in Northwestern University.

With teammate and friend, Néstor Torres, Jerry joined in the Latin music industry. After this musical experience, in 1980 Jerry joined the Orchestra led by Ismael Miranda. He subsequently joined Batacumbele, a group founded by Angel "cachete" Maldonado, Eric Figueroa and Eddie Rivera, with the help of the talented Frank Ferrer. This group grew to include the talents of Giovanni Hidalgo and Pablito Rosario. And these musicians were have helped Jerry to take a musical experiment that would result in a fusion of Afro-Caribbean rhythms.
Throughout his career, Medina has worked with numerous exponents of Latin music. He participated in the album by Eddie Palmieri, "The Truth," nominated for Grammy Awards. Together with the composer and director Raymond Torres, Jerry worked with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico on a project of symphonic Salsa turned out to be very successful in its presentation at the center of fine arts in Puerto Rico. In addition to this, Jerry has worked as chorist for stars such as Yomo Toro, Cheo Feliciano, Lucecita Benítez, José Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Larry Harlow, Herp Albert, Tony Vega, Manny Manuel, Luis Enrique and as lead singer for download Boricua.
Poco before his debut as a soloist with the "Feelin" Allright album "for the RMM label, Jerry Medina participated in the Fania stars tour and the North Sea Jazz Festivalmade in the Netherlands. Through these events Jerry visited Spain, Italy, France, Colombia and the African continent along with the likes of Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Ela Fitzgerald, Horace Silver, Mel Lewis and Airto Moreira.
Creando a bridge between Caribbean folklore and Latin jazz, the talented musician produced the compact "Feeling Alright", which has had a warm reception by the critics.
We are going to enjoy this great trumpeter, singer and leader of La Banda in this recent video in their native Puerto Rico, at the prestigious Festival Jazz... gozalo!



¡¡Viva The Latin Jazz!!

jazzcaribe@hotmail.com
www.jazz-caribe.org
www.jazzcaribe.blogspot.com
www.jazzglobalbeat.blogspot.com