2015 was an amazing year for Gon Bops. In keeping with our dedication to both traditional and contemporary percussion, we welcomed some truly amazing, established players this year, along with incredibly talented up & coming musicians. We’re proud of all of these amazing artists and excitedly look forward to many years together! Here’s a little bit about them, in no particular order…

Pablo Padin is arguably one of the most influential percussionists in Puerto Rico today and has performed and recorded with the greats of Latin music. He’s the winner of 6 Latin Grammys and 2 American Grammy awards.

2015 was also the year that we welcomed some fantastic, virtuoso Cuban percussionists. Gerald Piloto Baretto is one of the most respected & influential drummers in Cuba today. His band, Klimax features Jazzy accents and integrated Timba styles, making them unique.

Considered one of the world’s great Congueros, Eliel Lazo now resides in Copenhagen Denmark and performs with such greats as Michel Camilo, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

Another Latin Grammy-winner, Calixto Oviedo brings a very successful 38 year career to our roster. Known as one of the world’s authorities of the Cuban Timba music style, Calixto has played for everyone from Arturo Sandoval to Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Miami Sound Machine’s percussionist Eduardo Rodriguez hails from Cuba and now resides in Florida, where he splits his busy schedule between the Sound Machine and mega Latin-Pop superstar, Chayanne.

GB also welcomed two young and highly anticipated Cuban-born drummers, Daniel Rodriguez & Elio Piedra.  Both incredibly talented and ones we suggest watching closely.

Now in Los Angeles, Chilean born Christian Moraga joins our family, bringing a stunning ambidextrous approach to the traditional drum/percussion setup and his recent video post on Facebook received over 83,000 views!

Also in LA, Johnny Belisle plays with the Tarzana Band and states one of his career highlights as playing alongside Gon Bops’ late, great David “La Mole” Ortiz. 

From New York, Camilo Molina remains busy performing with Eddie Pamieri’s orchestra…a young player on the rise.  Also from New York, considered one of the world’s great Bongoceros, Jose Mangual Jr. comes to us with a long credit history including Herb Albert, Ruben Blades, Dizzy Gillespie and David Byrne.

Jotan Afanador – drummer for the immensely popular Bachata style artist, Romeo Santos, joins Gon Bops with a vast array of talent and versatility.

Last but certainly not least, one of the studio’s great drummers, Jamie Oldaker now plays Gon Bops, bringing an amazing history of classic recordings to his credit.  Including Eric Clapton’s “Layla”, “I Shot The Sheriff” and Bob Seger’s “Turn The Page” to name just a few, Jamie’s playing has been loved by millions for decades.

We look forward to another amazing year in 2016 – stay tuned!

Gon Bops has announced the addition of drummer and percussionist Jotan Afanador to its growing family of artists. Currently performing with Bachata mega-star Romeo Santos, New York based Afanador performs regularly in front of huge crowds worldwide, including 4 sold-out nights at New York’s Madison Square Gardens.

In addition to his work with Santos, Jotan has performed with Sergio Mendes, Tito Puente’s Big Band, Aventura, Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, amongst others. He was previously featured on the TBS sitcom “Are We There Yet”, produced by rapper/actor Ice Cube.

GB proudly welcomes this multi-talented drummer and percussionist to our artist family!

Gon Bops introduces the Commuter, a great-sounding, fully-collapsible Cajon that fits smartly into a backpack for transport to gigs, rehearsals and sessions.

 

Ideal for urban musicians who commute by bike, public transportation or small vehicle, the Commuter also fits easily into overhead luggage compartments for frequent flyers. Diagonally placed internal guitar strings provide authentic Flamenco tones, while deep resonant chamber offers loud, tight bass.

 

“We believe the Commuter fills a need among busy  musicians,” comments Gon Bops Marketing Manager Luis Cardoso. “A great-sounding collapsible cajon at this quality level and price point simply did not exist before the Commuter.”

 

COMMUTER CAJON (#CJCOM)

• Quick, easy collapse and assembly
• Full-size Cajon looks and sounds great
• Backpack gig bag included for easy transport
• Fits smartly into overhead luggage compartments on aircraft

Considered by Gon Bops’ Signature artist Alex Acuna to be the most important and talented percussionist in Puerto Rico today, Pablo Padin’s career has awarded him six Latin Grammy awards, as well as two American Grammys. He’s recorded and/or performed with Millie Quezada, Elvis Crespo, Grupo Mania, Johnny Rivera, Gilberto SantaRosa, Willie Colon, Tito Nieves and many more. Pablo’s currently working on his third CD with Jose Lugo’s “Guasabara Combo”, including some of his own compositions. We welcome this veteran, talented artist!

Gon Bops welcomes Percussion Master Eliel Lazo to it’s artist family!!  Originally from Havana, Cuba now living in Denmark, Eliel’s mastery of the percussive art form began early at age 19, when he won the prestigious PERCUBA International Percussion Prize.  In his career, he’s worked with such legends as Herbie Hancock, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdes, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland and many more.  Admired for his flawless, fluid technique matched with impeccable musicality and command of Cuban music, Lazo attracts fans everywhere and is considered by many of the world’s best players, to be their favorite Conguero.  His current solo release, “Eliel Lazo & The Cuban Funk Machine”, features sax legend Bob Mintzer, along with a host of great players from Cuba, Denmark and Sweden and is dedicated to Cuban percussion master, Jose Luis Quintanta, i.e. “Changuito”.  Gon Bops is extremely proud to welcome this amazing artist!!