Latin America/ Puerto Rico / San Juan
Humberto Ramírez one of the most innovative musicians on the Island of Enchantment Puerto Rico
Recognized as one of the most innovative musicians of his generation, Humberto Ramírez grew up in a home where the music of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, Cal Tjader and Machito was heard.
His father, who is a saxophonist and conductor, was the one who inspired him to play the flugelhorn at age 11.
By the age of 14, Humberto was performing professionally with his father’s orchestra and at the same time taking orchestration courses with bassist Inocencio “Chencho” Rivera.
At the age of 18, after graduating from the Escuela Libre de Música de San Juan, his interest in composing and arranging music motivated him to enroll at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in music, then studied composition and orchestration for film and television at the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, California.
In 1985, and for a period of four years, Humberto worked with the Willie Rosario orchestra, one of the most popular bands in Puerto Rico.
In 1989 he became the musical director of Tony Vega.
His admirable ability as a producer and arranger led him to make important collaborations with great figures in music.
In 1999 he took over the musical direction of merengue and tropical music star Olga Tañón.
His work as a producer, arranger, composer and director for tropical music artists such as Willie Colón, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Marc Anthony, India, Domingo Quiñones, Lourdes Robles, Rubén Blades, Brenda K. Starr, Tito Nieves, Víctor Manuelle and others , has established him as one of the busiest arrangers and producers in the industry.
He has also had the responsibility of directing the concerts of important exponents of reggaeton such as Daddy Yankee, Tito El Bambino and Zion, which undeniably demonstrates his broad musical mastery in various genres.
His great dream was always to develop a career in Jazz. In 1992, Humberto Ramírez debuted as group leader in his first production for the Tropijazz label entitled “Jazz Project”.
Since then he has shared the stage with important jazz musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Justo Almario, Alex Acuña, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz, Michel Camilo, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Gómez, Michael Brecker, Paquito D ‘Rivera, Chucho Valdés, Ray Santos, Gato Barbieri, Terence Blanchard and Herb Alpert, with whom he recorded the album “Passion Dance”.
His music has received rave reviews from prestigious publications such as Down Beat, Jazz Times, Jazziz, Latin Beat, CD Review, Hispanic Magazine, New York Daily News, The Plain Dealer, Miami Herald, The Boston Globe, and Austin Chronicle.
From the launch of his first record proposal, Humberto Ramírez has established himself as the most important exponent and promoter of Jazz in Puerto Rico.
He has recorded 26 albums in which he has experimented with all kinds of formats: duets, trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, octets and “Big Bands”.
His collaborations with the group Rumbantela and with the queen of filin, Lucy Fabery have received great praise from specialized critics. In 2005 he founded his own record label, Nilpo Music and last year he began to present his own Jazz festival: Puerto Rico Jazz Jam, marking a new stage in his musical career.
This year 2011 celebrates its 20 years cultivating the difficult expression of Jazz, a career that began with its debut as a leader in the first edition of the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest in June 1991. This year 2016 celebrates its 25 years.
Humberto Ramírez has received 4 Grammy Award nominations as a producer. His first nomination was for the album “Nueva Cosecha” by Willie Rosario in 1985, then for “Hecho en Puerto Rico” by Willie Colón in 1993, “Tony Vega” in 1996 and “Olga Viva, Viva Olga” by Olga Tañón, which earned him the Grammy Award in 2000.
In 2013 he was nominated for a Latin Grammy for his album Sentimentales with Lucy Fabery.
Among the awards he has received are 6 Platinum records, 12 Gold records, 4 “Visionary Awards” and six “Tu Música” awards. He has received tributes from Ohio State Representative Dennis J. Kucinich and from the Senate of Puerto Rico.
In 1997 he had the honor of entertaining the inauguration of the President of the United States, Bill Clinton in Washington, D.C. In October 2009 he was invited to play at the White House for President Barack Obama.
After having received several awards and nominations, as well as having recorded his own record successes, Humberto Ramírez shows that his creative explosion is still in its infancy.
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