Latin America

On Friday, March 27, 2026, Manolito Rodríguez and La Zónica performed at La Respuesta, a unique venue a hall where diverse musical genres blend, creating an atmosphere where a dance concert serves as the artists’ formal introduction to the public. The ensemble has been working together since August 2025, when the new orchestra was formed under the leadership of the virtuoso timbalero.

When Manolito began assembling the group, he sought out songs that resonated with him, such as “Gente Luminosa” and “A Mi Medida.” He has also been working with unreleased compositions by Anthony García and Leni Prieto. La Zónica marks a new chapter for the timbalero as the director of his own orchestra. Nevertheless, they continue to perform hits from Manolito’s previous era, now brought to life by the vocal front: Ángel Pomales, Joelis Crespo, and Gabriel Cotto. Manolito has promised to step back from singing to focus entirely on his instrument and musical direction.

The director of La Zónica hopes the dance concert at La Respuesta on March 27 marked a turning point for the band. “It’s an event we’ve been working on with great intensity,” Manolito says with enthusiasm. With energy and conviction, the timbalero adds: “I want to leave a legacy like El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, like Sonora Ponceña, like Roberto Roena’s Apollo Sound, or Willie Rosario’s band. I want people to say in 25 years, ‘Look, that’s Manolito’s La Zónica.’ It’s a long road, but it’s possible.”

As if that weren’t enough, a new line of Meinl Percussion instruments, inspired by the young Puerto Rican timbalero, is now available.

A Prodigy’s Journey

The career of this salsa virtuoso began early. Manolito Rodríguez is a percussionist, musical director, singer, and dancer. While he was still in middle school, piano genius Papo Lucca invited him to record on the 45th-anniversary album, Homenaje a Tres Grandes del Teclado. “At that time, I was just entering the Escuela Libre de Música; I was in ninth grade,” the timbalero recalls. Four years later, upon graduating from the Ernesto Ramos Antonini ELM in San Juan, Manolito earned the timbalero chair with Sonora Ponceña on Papo Lucca’s recommendation. “Don Quique” accepted him, and the young musician remained with the group for four years.

Puerto Rico’s salsa stages watched Manolito Rodríguez grow up, flanked by musical institutions such as Sonora Ponceña, his now-colleague Willie Rosario, and Roberto Roena’s Apollo Sound.

His skill as a percussionist grew by leaps and bounds, and his versatility was tested on multiple fronts. In fact, his vocals were featured with the orchestra Del Sur al Norte, led by the renowned director, arranger, and producer, trumpet master Julito Alvarado. “Julito was the first one who gave me the opportunity to record as a singer,” Manolito acknowledged in an interview.

Thanks to his interactions with salsa veterans since childhood, Manolito served as musical director for various youth projects along the way. This included Revolución Juvenil in high school and Manolito y su Trabuco, an orchestra that performed every Wednesday at El Doble Seis in Caguas.

Legacy and Discipline

According to Manolito himself now a music professor—he owes much of his career to the support of his mother and grandmother, who nurtured his musical interests and encouraged him to pursue formal training. Today, the instrumentalist considers himself a “music worker” who approaches his craft with respect and maturity.

His new orchestra, La Zónica, finds him with a different mindset: he wants to concentrate on the timbales and direction. He considers Master Willie Rosario—who treats him as a protégé one of his greatest influences as a timbalero-bandleader. Rodríguez shares that when he read the authorized biography of “Mr. Afinque” (Willie Rosario, El Rey del Ritmo by researcher Robert Téllez) and saw himself mentioned, he was overcome with emotion. “My eyes welled up. I didn’t expect it,” he says. “Since I started taking things seriously, Willie has always mentored me.”

Despite his vast experience, the young musician felt deeply blessed to be chosen to fill in for the leader of “the band that delights” (la banda que deleita) on several occasions, and to perform at the Willie Rosario Centenary concert at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. “I feel very fortunate because Willie is a very serious person, someone highly respected in the world of salsa with an impeccable career. He is a true role model.”

Following the passing of Roberto Roena, Rodríguez was also entrusted with the legacy of the Apollo Sound—a testament to the confidence and solidity he projects despite his youth. “Wow, yes. It was an honor,” he recalls nostalgically. “Roberto was the first person to give me a big break in Puerto Rico,” referring to his participation in the 1998 Día Nacional de la Zalsa at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón.

On Sunday, March 22, 2026, Manolito Rodríguez returned to the Día Nacional de la Zalsa as the timbalero and director of La Zónica, a project that debuted last November during Sonora Ponceña’s 70th-anniversary concert. The current lineup includes: Airemyelisse Díaz (bass), Reinaldo Burgos (piano), Savier Díaz (congas), Manolito Rodríguez (timbales/director), Carlos Arroyo (bongo), Víctor “Yuca” Maldonado (baritone sax), Efraín Martínez (tenor sax), Rubén Díaz (trumpet), and Jan Santana (flugelhorn).

Manolito is well aware that “people pay to be entertained,” as he mentioned in a Zoom interview, and he views himself as a craftsman of music. He feels fortunate to be a full-time musician. “That’s what keeps me grounded. I get paid to make music. I am a music worker with great aspirations who trusts his talent and knows he must stay focused.”

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