Walfredo Reyes Jr. (born Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV; December 18, 1955) is a
Cuban American
Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or ...
musician who is an expert in
drum set
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumstic ...
and
auxiliary percussion
The percussion section is one of the main divisions of the orchestra and the concert band. It includes most percussion instruments and all unpitched instruments.
The percussion section is itself divided into three subsections:
* Pitched perc ...
, a
music educator
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...
, and a
clinician
A clinician is a health care professional typically employed at a skilled nursing facility or clinic. Clinicians work directly with patients rather than in a laboratory or as a researcher. A clinician may diagnose, treat, and otherwise care for pa ...
. He has performed with many
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
,
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
,
World music,
World fusion,
Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ...
, and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
bands as a
touring,
session recording, and full-time player/performer. Reyes is known for his fusion of many of the world's percussion techniques, including the ability to play a drum set with his hands in addition to the traditional use of drumsticks, whereby it is said that he can "sound like a drummer and a percussionist at the same time".
He is well known for having been a long-term member of
Santana, and a member of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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as the percussionist from 2012 to 2018 and took over the drum seat in 2018.
He also performs in ex-
Nazareth guitarist
Manny Charlton
Manuel Charlton (25 July 1941 – 5 July 2022) was a Scottish musician, who was known as a founding member of the influential Scottish hard rock band Nazareth and was their lead guitarist from 1968 to 1990. He also produced a string of succe ...
's solo band.
Biography
Walfredo Reyes Jr. was born on December 18, 1955, in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , Cuba. His native name of Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV is a traditional Cuban combination of his paternal and maternal surnames. He is a third generation musician in a prolific professional musical lineage on both sides of his family, including several globally recognized percussion experts.
His father is percussionist
Walfredo Reyes, Sr.
Walfredo de los Reyes Sr. is a Cuban percussionist, timbalero, and educator, in the fields of session recording, live performance, and clinics. He is the father of famed percussionists Walfredo Reyes Jr. and Daniel de los Reyes and of actor Ka ...
; one brother is
world music percussionist
Daniel de los Reyes
Daniel de los Reyes (born July 18, 1962) is an American percussionist
who is a former member of Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago. He is currently a member of the Zac Brown Band.
Musical career
De los Reyes was born in New York City and raised ...
; another brother is actor
Kamar de los Reyes
Kamar de los Reyes (born November 8, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Antonio Vega on the ABC soap opera, '' One Life to Live'', and as Raul Menendez, the primary antagonist of the 2012 video game, '' Call of ...
; and his grandfather is trumpeter and Cuban orchestral organizer, Walfredo de los Reyes II.
Coincidentally, Wally's father had been professionally credited by the same name, Walfredo Reyes Jr., for his own percussion work throughout the 1940s to 1960s, to differentiate himself from his own father.
Reyes has had a lifelong interest in the music of Chicago Transit Authority, now known as the band
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. As a youth, the band's debut album, ''Chicago Transit Authority'', is the first album he purchased with his own money.
Career
Leading up to his current role with the band
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, Reyes had a connection as a lifelong fan of the band, as a long-time friend of and collaborator with former drummer
Tris Imboden
Gregory Tristan "Tris" Imboden (born July 27, 1951) is an American rock and jazz drummer. As a performer, he has been in studio sessions and on tour with some of the most notable and highest-selling musicians of all time. He was the drummer fo ...
,
and as brother of Chicago's previous percussionist
Daniel de los Reyes
Daniel de los Reyes (born July 18, 1962) is an American percussionist
who is a former member of Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago. He is currently a member of the Zac Brown Band.
Musical career
De los Reyes was born in New York City and raised ...
.
He is the title character of the
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended Jam session#Rock, jams, blending of Music genre, genres, and a dedicated Fandom, fan base. The band consists of guitari ...
song "Walfredo".
For the 2021 movie
Being the Ricardos
''Being the Ricardos'' is a 2021 American biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between ''I Love Lucy'' stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Arnaz, ...
, Reyes coached and mentored
Javier Bardem
Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (; born 1 March 1969) is a Spanish actor. Known for his roles in Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and foreign films, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the psychopath, ...
in learning the conga drums performed in the film.
Reyes has globally toured and/or recorded with countless international acts, including the following:
Discography
Videography
Equipment
Reyes uses and endorses the following equipment:
*
Mapex Drums
Mapex Drums (Music And Percussion EXcellence) is a Taiwanese brand of musical instruments established by KHS Musical Instruments in 1989. Instruments manufactured with the "Mapex" name include drum kits and hardware.
Products
Mapex produces se ...
*
Sabian Cymbals
Sabian is a Canadian and Armenian cymbal manufacturing company established in 1981 in Meductic, New Brunswick, where it is still headquartered. Sabian is considered one of the ''big four'' manufacturers of cymbals, along with Zildjian, Meinl an ...
*
Latin Percussion
{{for, the company, Latin Percussion
Latin percussion is a family of percussion, membranophone, lamellophone and idiophone instruments used in Latin music.
Instruments Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican styles Folkloric and Santeria
*Trap drums
* Abak ...
*
Remo Drumheads
Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware.
History
Drummer and founder R ...
*
Regal Tip
Regal Tip is one of the world's largest manufacturers of drum sticks and other percussion mallets. They produce a range of beaters, but are particularly noted as a manufacturer of premium steel brushes and nylon tipped drumsticks. In 2003, the co ...
: Walfredo "''El Rockero''" Reyes Jr. signature series drumsticks. Reyes designed his own signature series of drum sticks, earning him Regal Tip's unique nickname of "''El Rockero''" (lit. "The Rocker" in English.)
*Audix microphones
*Protection Racket drum cases
See also
Notes
References
External links
*
*
Official Chicago website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Walfredo Jr.
1955 births
Living people
American performance artists
Cuban jazz percussionists
American percussionists
21st-century American composers
American male composers
Chicago (band) members
20th-century American composers
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians