1990 He finds his first teacher of Afro-Cuban percussion, Armando García Pérez, a musician living in Alicante, who had been a professor in the Instituto Nacional Ignacio Cervantes in Habana, a regular in the Tropicana orchestra and collaborator with the well known orchestra director and founder of “Fania All Stars” record company, Johny Pacheco . Over the next two years he learns with “Armandito” García the basic techniques of “la conga”, the bongo and the kettledrum as well as learning a new lifestyle , that of the professional musician.
1992 He begins to study on his own Afro-Cuban percussion and he becomes interested in Jazz, Latin music and Funky.
This year marks the beginning of his career as a professional percussionist. During this year and the next, Pakito Baeza accompanies a long list of local bands of different styles. Amongst them Quenira (Ethnic Music), Tabú (Hard-Rock) and Buen Bajio (Flamenco).
1993 He plays in Desafinado Venue in Alicante with musicians such as flutist-saxophonist Jorge Pardo, guitarist Ximo Tébar and Mingo D’Acosta, who practise the fusion of Jazz with flamenco or Latin sounds.
His first experience as a studio musician was with Brazilian percussionist Rubem Dantas.
Rubem Dantas (Paco de Lucía) hears him play at rehearsals for his concert in the Plaza de Toros in Alicante and invites him to participate in his album “Nativo” with Jorge Pardo, Luis Dulzaides and Agustin Carbonell “El Bola”.
Out of this collaboration emerges the exchange of techniques and subsequent collaborations between Brazilian percussionist Rubem Dantas and Pakito.
He accompanies Narciso Medina’s Cuban Dance Company at the Plaza de Toros of Alicante.
1994 He performs with the Gran Caiman Orchestra and records a CD for the Pop-Rock group La Apuesta, in the Jan Candela recording studios in Barcelona. Subsequently, this job opens doors to further recordings with this studio.
1995 He learns the Hindi tabla techniques from Xavier Turull (Barcelona) and Wirender Kumar (Alcoi) to enrich his style.
He does live collaborations with singer/songwriters such as Pablo Milanés, Compay Segundo, Jose Manuel Soto, Victor Manuel and Pi de la Serra, during the “Cultura Week of Alicante” and records two CDs with Agrupacion Albaladre.
1996 He starts teaching Latin percussion at the University of Alicante where presently he continues to run seminars and/or ongoing courses.
He accompanies DJs with live percussion at Zoo venue in Alicante, an aspect of his work he continues to develop presently.
He participates as percussionist with the Lino Zorrilla dance company in Spanish theatres such as Mercat de les Flors in Barcelona. This collaboration continues until 1999.
He collaborates with the bands Indra (Pop-Rock), Norma Jean (Funky) and La Partida (Pop).
He goes on tour through Egypt with the Instituto Cervantes performing the play “Del Flamenco al Mestizaje” with percussionist Rubem Dantas and the flamenco singer José Campaña, a project in which his music would blend with that of the Egyptian group Sabil.
1997 He travels to Cuba to participate in the percussion festival “Percuba” where he is met by the organisers with great surprise, for they were unaware there were musicians in Spain playing Latin percussion. He takes this opportunity to become acquainted directly with the Cuban street folklore and to deepen his knowledge of the Caribbean rhythms with the congueros Roberto Vizcaino and Pedro Vega.
He is trained by Antonio Lino Naira Betancourt and drummer Salvador Niebla and is proposed to perform in the following festival.
He records the rhythmic pattern for Ketron X-1 Virtual Sound (Italy), the first instrument on the market of these characteristics.
1998 Pakito defines this as “one of his most important years” of his career in. He is given a scholarship from Berkley College of Music (Boston)- the most prestigious jazz school internationally. It is here where he performs with Mexican VIBRAPHONIST Victor Mendoza for the World Percussion Festival.
Pakito is selected to be one of the four students to be taught by Giovanni Hidalgo, member of Tito Puente’s Golden Latin Jazz and one of the main “congueros” of today’s Latin Jazz.
At Berkley he extends his resources with Cuban drummers Horacio “el Negro” Hernandez, a regular of the record company Messidor and Walfredo de los Reyes, a collaborator with Nat king Cole and conguero Carlos “Patato” Valdez, a key player of the Latin jazz that accompanied Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Herbie Mann or Max Roach for record companies such as Verve, Blue Note or Farnia. Finally he obtains his diploma with Gary Burton.
He participates as a percussion professor in the II International Seminar of Jazz and Latin Music (SEDAJAZZ) in Cullera next to Latin Jazz trumpeter Mike P. Mossman, North American pianist Brad Meldhan, soul singer Devorah Carter or HIGH saxophonist Perico Sambeat.
He performs in various international jazz festivals presenting CD/ALBUMS “Home Page” with Ximo Tébar Band, with whom he performs in concerts in the main cities in Spain.
Not only does he combine his educational job in the University of Alicante with auditions in schools for the Diputación Provincial de Alicante, but also leads a “Master Class” in the Conservatorio Superior de Musica of Alicante.
1998-1999 He joins the vocal formation Samba Pa’ Ti, lead by Alicante singer Margot Cortés, with whom he offers concerts in venues and theatres throughout the province with a repertoire of classic Brazilian themes.
1999-2000 He introduces himself further into Tribal Sound electronic Music with live percussion. These collaborations lead him to accompany some of the most prestigious DJs of the national house scene such as César de Melero or Pedro del Moral, as well as well known DJs form Alicante scene. This includes Gonzalo Menoyo (KU Benidorm), David Martínez (Desafinado), Joe Montana (Italia) and DJ Pippi (Ibiza Residents).
Over the next year he joins “Lucho Aguilar and Joa Soler Quartet” a Jazz formation of Valencian doble bass player and guitarist with harmonist Antonio Serrano.
2001 He meets DJ Chuss in “sala talisman” in Desafinado. After this initial meeting he becomes DJ Chuss’ official percussionist and records “That Feeling” for “Defected” record company with Stereo Productions.
2002 He performs in the Chesterfield venue in Madrid as collaborator to the emblematic conguero Giovanni Hidalgo.
He maintains his Tribal Sound shows (the fusion of dance House music, Techno-Funk, Tribal, Garage and Jungle with Afro-Caribbean percussion) doing live accompaniments and participating in House parties in the most important Dance venues in Spain, such as Privilege (Ibiza) or Teatro Kapital (Madrid).
Over the last couple of years he has performed with Señor Lobo (Casa Latina), DJ Pippi (Ibiza Resident), DJ Chuss (Stereo Producciones), DJ Rives, Susso (Km5, AMNESIA and Pachá Ibiza), Ralph Manuel or Joe Montana amongst others.
He leaves Toca Percusion to become an endorser of the firm Latin Percusion, world leader in sales of percussion instruments for professionals.
2003 He runs “clinics” as endorser for Latin Percusion, the first one being in 2003 Tour at the Chesterfield Café with Madrid Musical.
Currently Pakito is preparing his House Music Album with producer and arranger Pepe Dougan who has worked for artists such as Luis Miguel, Marta Sanchez and the Cuban group Orishas.
Pakito also collaborates in an edition of a CD for Antena 3 Television Channel.
In August he runs a seminar in Muro de Alcoy with director of the Symphonic of Alicante “Joan Iborra” and the kettledrummer “Grati Murcia”.
He records with Reserved Sounds, the successful recording of Sax Delight with American saxophonist Michael Sax and DJ Producer Marmol, whilst he tours various cities throughout Spain.
2004 On 23 June he performs in Alicante with Safri Duo promoted by Cadena Ser radio station for the Hogueras de San Juan celebrations.
He is the guest performer in Chesterfield Café in Madrid with Giovanni Hidalgo and Piraña, to promote Madrid Musical and Latin Percussion.
He directs “UA” Percussion Group in the University of Alicante, performing for its 25th Anniversary and in festivals such as El FAM.
In August he participates as professor in the International Percussion Festival in Guardamar, sharing the stage with well known artists such as Manel Ramada and Don Famularo.
He also performs in the FORUM in Barcelona with the flamenco group “Matipen” under the direction of Paco Suarez.
In the summer of this year and at present he works as musician for Heineken performing the show - House Percussion live.
In March he becomes endorser for “Remo” drum heads alongside Nova Percusio.
He runs a seminar in “Musikene” (San Sebastian) with “Latin Percussion” and “Remo”
Hola! Recien descubrí los videos que tienes en el youtube ;) Me son muy útiles para estudiar! Muchas gracias por compartirlos!! Un abrazo desde Barcelona
mu buenas paco..ya te he localizao por éstos espacios virtuales..espero que volvamos a coincidir. Gracias por tus consejos y por compartir esos bongos aquella noche,eres un mooostrooo!!
Hola Pakito
Un gran y afectuoso saludo desde chile...
Un día casualmente me tope con tu pag. web y me sorprendio mucho tu destreza como intrumentista
mis felicitaciones
verdaderamente eres muy bueno
Grande maestro ¡¡
Saludos
Daniel*
Estoy recien estudiando la percusion en el flamenco... veamos que resulta y como suena mi cajón...
