Pernell Saturnino
Encyclopedia
Pernell Saturnino is a Grammy-award winner percussionist from the Caribbean island of Curaçao
. He is continuing a musical legacy established by his distinguished family in the island. His grandmother, granduncle and grandaunt, were among those who originated and developed the island's indigenous folkloric rhythm known as Tambú. Exposed to music while still a toddler, his uncle, who led a prominent folkloric group, took him to play in the group when he was 8 years old. He started playing guiro
and within a month had learned to play most of the drum patterns from the group's percussionist. The first instrument he learned to play was the tambora
, a drum from Venezuela. From there, he advanced to learn conga
s, the tambú (a traditional Curacaoan drum), the chapi
(a hoe) and timbales
.
Saturnino's impressive talents led to his joining Curaçao’s best-known folkloric group, Nos Antias, with which he performed at festivals around the world. His exposure to other folkloric groups inspired him to learn about traditional rhythms from other countries, mostly by hanging out and exchanging knowledge with other musicians.
When he was 19, Saturnino began formal studies at the Foundation Institute of Music in Curaçao. Hired as percussionist in a house band that performed international shows at a prominent hotel, he learned to play rhythms from such countries as Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, among others.
In 1988 he moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music
, where he studied with percussion masters Giovanni Hidalgo
and Jesus Alfonso (Los Muñequitos de Matanzas), and performed with such renowned artists as Joe Zawinul
, Hermeto Pascoal
and Gilberto Gil
. Saturnino also began performing with local artists, most notably Rebecca Paris and Danilo Perez
. During his studies, he was honored as The most outstanding percussionist (1992), and received The Latin Percussion Award (1994).
Following his graduation from Berklee, he began working and recording with saxophone/clarinet virtuoso Paquito D'Rivera
both with The United Nation Orchestra (Live at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild), and in other group settings (Portraits of Cuba**, Live at the Blue Note, The Clarinetist, Calle 54, Big Band Time with the WDR Orchestra, Island Story with The Caribbean Jazz Project and the new release Funk Tango). Mr. Saturnino has been performing and recording with Mr. D'Rivera for 11 years.
In 1996, Saturnino joined the David Sanchez
Quintet and later Sextet, with whom he performed for nine years and recorded (Obsession, Travesia, Melaza and Coral).
Recently Mr. Saturnino is working frequently with the U.S. Quintet of Dee Dee Bridgewater
.
Mr. Saturnino—who has performed in festivals, concerts and in clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, China and Africa—is kept busy as an in-demand side-man, guest artist and clinician. Among highlights: The 1996 Olympic Arts Festival and the Lincoln Center Summer Jazz Festival with Wynton Marsalis
, with whom he also recorded (Sweet Release). Chick Corea
and Electric Band (To the Stars) and Diego Urcola (Viva) with whom he received a Grammy nomination.
He has also recorded with Danilo Perez
(Central Avenue and the soundtrack for the Hollywood feature movie, Huge Pool), as well as with Carlos Franzetti
, Bebo Valdez, Antonio Hart
(Here I stand), Juan Pablo Torres (Tromboneman), Richie Zellon (Café con Leche), Oscar Stagnaro, Curacaoan pianist Randal Corsen (Evolushon, Armonia and Dulsura di Korsou), Curacaoan vocalist Izaline Calister
(Soño di un muhé, Mariposa, Krioyo, Kanta helele and speransa) and Donny McCaslin
(Soar).
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. He is continuing a musical legacy established by his distinguished family in the island. His grandmother, granduncle and grandaunt, were among those who originated and developed the island's indigenous folkloric rhythm known as Tambú. Exposed to music while still a toddler, his uncle, who led a prominent folkloric group, took him to play in the group when he was 8 years old. He started playing guiro
Güiro
The güiro is a Latin-American percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role...
and within a month had learned to play most of the drum patterns from the group's percussionist. The first instrument he learned to play was the tambora
Tambora (Venezuelan drum)
In Gaita Zuliana music, from Venezuela, in South America, the tambora is a one-headed drum played with sticks. The player can sit on it or put it between his or her legs to perform rhythms on the instrument, sticking on the head, on the rim or on the body of the drum.-External links:**...
, a drum from Venezuela. From there, he advanced to learn conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s, the tambú (a traditional Curacaoan drum), the chapi
Hoe (tool)
A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural tool used to move small amounts of soil. Common goals include weed control by agitating the surface of the soil around plants, piling soil around the base of plants , creating narrow furrows and shallow trenches for planting seeds and bulbs, to chop...
(a hoe) and timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
.
Saturnino's impressive talents led to his joining Curaçao’s best-known folkloric group, Nos Antias, with which he performed at festivals around the world. His exposure to other folkloric groups inspired him to learn about traditional rhythms from other countries, mostly by hanging out and exchanging knowledge with other musicians.
When he was 19, Saturnino began formal studies at the Foundation Institute of Music in Curaçao. Hired as percussionist in a house band that performed international shows at a prominent hotel, he learned to play rhythms from such countries as Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, among others.
In 1988 he moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, where he studied with percussion masters Giovanni Hidalgo
Giovanni Hidalgo
Giovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" is an educator and percussionist associated with Latin jazz.-Early years:Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he received his primary education. His grandfather had also been a musician as well as his father, José Manuel Hidalgo "Mañengue", who was...
and Jesus Alfonso (Los Muñequitos de Matanzas), and performed with such renowned artists as Joe Zawinul
Joe Zawinul
Josef Erich Zawinul was an Austrian-American jazz keyboardist and composer.First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with trumpeter Miles Davis, and to become one of the creators of jazz fusion, an innovative musical genre that combined jazz with...
, Hermeto Pascoal
Hermeto Pascoal
Hermeto Pascoal is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a greatly beloved musical figure in the history of Brazilian music, known for his abilities at orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and...
and Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
. Saturnino also began performing with local artists, most notably Rebecca Paris and Danilo Perez
Danilo Pérez
Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era....
. During his studies, he was honored as The most outstanding percussionist (1992), and received The Latin Percussion Award (1994).
Following his graduation from Berklee, he began working and recording with saxophone/clarinet virtuoso Paquito D'Rivera
Paquito D'Rivera
Paquito D'Rivera is a Cuban alto saxophonist, clarinetist and soprano saxophonist. The winner of multiple Grammys and other awards, D'Rivera has lived in the United States since the early 1980s. He has worked in a variety of contexts, but is perhaps best known for playing Latin...
both with The United Nation Orchestra (Live at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild), and in other group settings (Portraits of Cuba**, Live at the Blue Note, The Clarinetist, Calle 54, Big Band Time with the WDR Orchestra, Island Story with The Caribbean Jazz Project and the new release Funk Tango). Mr. Saturnino has been performing and recording with Mr. D'Rivera for 11 years.
In 1996, Saturnino joined the David Sanchez
David Sánchez (musician)
David Sanchez is a well known, 2005 Grammy winning jazz tenor saxophonist from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico born in September 1968.-Early life:Sanchez took up the conga when he was eight and started playing tenor saxophone at age 12. The earliest influences were Afro-Caribbean and danza but also European...
Quintet and later Sextet, with whom he performed for nine years and recorded (Obsession, Travesia, Melaza and Coral).
Recently Mr. Saturnino is working frequently with the U.S. Quintet of Dee Dee Bridgewater
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Dee Dee Bridgewater is an American Jazz singer. She is a three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award - winning stage actress and host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater...
.
Mr. Saturnino—who has performed in festivals, concerts and in clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, China and Africa—is kept busy as an in-demand side-man, guest artist and clinician. Among highlights: The 1996 Olympic Arts Festival and the Lincoln Center Summer Jazz Festival with Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, with whom he also recorded (Sweet Release). Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
and Electric Band (To the Stars) and Diego Urcola (Viva) with whom he received a Grammy nomination.
He has also recorded with Danilo Perez
Danilo Pérez
Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era....
(Central Avenue and the soundtrack for the Hollywood feature movie, Huge Pool), as well as with Carlos Franzetti
Carlos Franzetti
Carlos Alberto Franzetti is a Latin Grammy Award-winning composer and arranger from Buenos Aires, Argentina.Franzetti started studying music at Buenos Aires' National Conservatory at the age of 6 and later began taking private piano lessons. He began studying music composition after moving to...
, Bebo Valdez, Antonio Hart
Antonio Hart
Antonio Hart is a jazz alto saxophonist. He attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, studied with Andy McGhee at Berklee College of Music, and has a master's degree from Queens College, City University of New York. His initial training was classical, but he switched to jazz in college...
(Here I stand), Juan Pablo Torres (Tromboneman), Richie Zellon (Café con Leche), Oscar Stagnaro, Curacaoan pianist Randal Corsen (Evolushon, Armonia and Dulsura di Korsou), Curacaoan vocalist Izaline Calister
Izaline Calister
Izaline Calister is a singer and songwriter of Dutch-Curaçaoan citizenship.Growing up in her native Curaçao for eighteen years, Calister moved to Groningen, the Netherlands, where she studied at the Prins Claus Conservatorium....
(Soño di un muhé, Mariposa, Krioyo, Kanta helele and speransa) and Donny McCaslin
Donny McCaslin
Donny McCaslin is an American jazz saxophonist.McCaslin's father was a vibraphonist, and he played in his father's ensemble at the age of twelve. He had his own group in high school which played three years at the Monterey Jazz Festival. He studied under Paul Contos and Brad Hecht, both of whom...
(Soar).