Sammy Figueroa (born November 16, 1948) is an American percussionist.[1] At 18, he joined the band of bassist Bobby Valentín and also co-led the Brazilian/Latin fusion group Raíces. He is known as an extremely prolific session player, having played on nearly 400 albums, including ten platinum records.[2]
Early years
Figueroa was born in the Bronx in 1948. He started singing at an early age, following in the footsteps of his father, Charlie Figueroa, whom he never met. However, Sammy later decided that he wanted to be an instrumentalist. By his teenage years, he was focusing almost entirely on percussion.[3] Figueroa moved to Puerto Rico as a child to live with his grandparents amidst rising gang violence in The Bronx and, at 17 years old, joined the band Raíces (not to be confused with the Argentinian rock band of the same name).[4]
Move back to New York
Raíces had a difficult time making a name for themselves and Figueroa left the group and returned to New York City, where he took a job at a Sam Goody record store.[3][4] Figueroa eventually rejoined Raíces and recorded an album with them in Miami, but moved back to New York again when the group broke up a few years later. While working at the record store, Figueroa met prominent jazz flutist Herbie Mann, who was impressed by Figueroa’s knowledge of music and record recommendations. Upon learning that Figueroa was a percussionist, Mann invited him to sit in at a club gig and, later, offered him a spot in his band.[2] Soon thereafter, Figueroa began working with Average White Band, The Brecker Brothers, and The Mahavishnu Orchestra.[3]
In 1989, Figueroa met producer Rachel Faro at a benefit for Pat Mikell, co-proprietor of Mikell’s jazz club. The two became a production team and went on to produce various Cuban and Puerto Rican artists and bands including Lazaro Roz con Mezcla, Fania All-Star Yomo Toro, a capella group Vocal Sampling, and fusion band Cuarto Espacio. Faro founded the label Ashé Records in 1998 and moved the label to Miami shortly after.[3] Figueroa followed her there in 2002, quickly forming the band Sammy Figueroa and His Latin Jazz Explosion, which debuted at the 2002 Hollywood (Florida) Jazz Festival and held a regular performance slot at the Van Dyke Café in Miami Beach for several years.[2] Figueroa also leads Sally’s Tomato, a Cal Tjader tribute group, as a side project.[3] He has cited Bill Fitch, who played conga with Tjader, as a longtime influence on his own playing.[2] To date, Figueroa has released seven albums as a band leader or co-leader. His most recent album Searching For A Memory/Busco Tu Recuerdo (Ashe, 2023) a tribute to his father, was produced by Faro with Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Cuban singer Aymée Nuviola.[9][10] The production was made possible by a Creativity Residency Grant from SouthArts Jazz Road initiative.[11][12]
Awards
Figueroa has won three Recording Academy (NARAS) awards for 'Percussionist of the Year' and has been nominated twice for the Grammy for 'Best Latin Jazz Album' for his first two albums, ...and Sammy Walked In (Savant, 2006, SCD 2066) and The Magician (Savant, 2007, SCD 2079).[5][13] In March 2024, Searching For A Memory/Busco Tu Recuerdo received a "Production of the Year" award from Puerto Rico's Fundacion Nacional para La Cultura Popular.[14] Figueroa was awarded the title of "Best Jazz Artist" in the Miami New Times "Best Of Miami" awards in 2003 and, in 2008, received a Drum! Magazine Drummie Award for "Best Jazz Fusion Percussionist."[15][16] He received a Jazz Journalists Association award in 2012 and was a runner-up for another in 2015.[17][18]
Gear
Figueroa endorses Pearl percussion, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Shure microphones. His gear setup includes:[3]
