SAMMY FIGUEROA
Genres: Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz, World Fusion • United States

Latin Jazz great Sammy Figueroa (b. 1948-) has resided and performed in South Florida since 2001. The son of vocalist Charlie Figueroa, Sammy was born in the Bronx and raised in Puerto Rico. In 1966 at the age of 18, Sammy joined Salsa legend Bobby Valentin’s band, in which he would tour and perform for years. Throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, he was a prolific and in-demand session Latin jazz percussionist, working with such artists as Miles Davis, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, Hall & Oates, Chic, Chaka Khan, Blondie, Carole King, Deodato, David Lee Roth, The Bee Gees, Joe Cocker, Peter Tosh, and many others. He became a founding member of the Latin rock band Raíces in 1977. At the Hollywood Jazz Festival in 2001, Sammy debuted his group, Sammy Figueroa and His Latin Jazz Explosion, and has recorded and performed with them since. The read more...