Roberto Juan Rodriguez

Percussionist, composer, and arranger Roberto Juan Rodriguez, whose unique blending of Latin and Jewish music has essentially created a whole new hybrid, was born in Cuba, the son of veteran horn player Roberto Luis Rodriguez. The younger Rodriguez studied violin, piano, and trumpet in Havana, and learned to play drums there, as well. He left Cuba for Miami with his family when he was nine. While still in his teens, Rodriguez began playing drums with his father's various ensembles in the Miami area, and also began immersing himself in the culture of the area's large Jewish pop...