TINO CONTRERAS
Genres: Latin Jazz, Latin Rock, Soul, Exotica, Classic Fusion, Third Stream, Pop, Art Song, Folk, Hard Bop • Mexico

Tino Contreras (born April 3, 1924, Chihuahua, Mexico – died September 9, 2021, Ciudad de Mexico) Mexican musician and composer. He was born in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico, on April 3. He comes from a family of musicians, mainly his father, Don Miguel Contreras, who was a drummer and director of the first Jazz band in Chihuahua, and his mother, Mrs. Leandra, who liked to sing zarzuelas. In that environment, Tino began playing drums at eight years of age and at age 15 he became the drummer of the Los Cadetes del Swing orchestra, which he himself formed with his older brother Efrén, saxophonist and director of the latter. At age 17 Tino moved to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, where he formed his own band, which he called the Youth Orchestra. At the beginning of the 1940s he made his debut as a director and soloist on the XEJ radio station in read more...