Giovanni Hidalgo


Giovanni Hidalgo, also known as "Mañenguito", is a Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz percussionist, widely regarded as one of the greatest conga players in the world. Renowned for his virtuosic speed, precision, and innovation, he revolutionized hand drumming by blending Afro-Caribbean rhythms with jazz, funk, and other global influences.
Hidalgo gained international prominence in the 1980s through collaborations with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Palmieri, and Mickey Hart. He was a core member of Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra and co-winner of the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 1992 for *Planet Drum* alongside Mickey Hart and other percussion legends.
A dedicated educator, Hidalgo served as a professor at Berklee College of Music and has mentored generations of percussionists around the world. Despite health challenges in recent years, he continues to perform, record, and tour internationally, including recent trio work and upcoming performances across the United States and Europe.

Early years

Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he received his primary education. His grandfather was a musician, and his father, José Manuel Hidalgo "Mañengue", was a renowned conga player. Hidalgo was raised in a household surrounded by drums, bongos, congas, and timbales. For his eighth birthday, he received a conga which was handmade by his father. As a young child, he practiced and developed his skills on the conga and on other instruments in his house. Hidalgo would drum a tune with sticks and then play the same tune with his hands.

Music career

Hidalgo auditioned and was hired by the Batacumbele Band in 1980. In 1981, he traveled with the band to Cuba, where he met a musician by the name José Luis Quintana, a.k.a. Changuito. They created a style of rhythm that ushered in a new era in Latin music.
In 1985, Hidalgo was performing with Eddie Palmieri at the Village Gate in New York City when Dizzy Gillespie walked in and listened to him play. Gillespie was so impressed with Hidalgo that he told him that someday in the future they must get together and play. In 1988 Hidalgo joined Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra.
In 1992, Hidalgo was hired as an adjunct professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He taught many types of rhythm: Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, reggae, African, and jazz. He held this academic position until 1996.
During his career, he has worked with Bola Abimbola, Sikiru Adepoju, Art Blakey, Muruga Booker, Jack Bruce, Don Byron, Candido Camero, D'Angelo, Paulinho da Costa, Steve Gadd, Sammy Hagar, Kip Hanrahan, Zakir Hussain, Cassius Khan, Airto Moreira, Charlie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz, Paul Simon, and Carlos "Patato" Valdes.
On October 31, 2010, he performed with the rock band Phish during their Halloween concert. The band performed Waiting for Columbus by Little Feat with Hidalgo on percussion and a brass section of Aaron Johnson, Stuart Bogie, Ian Hendrickson, Michael Leonhart, and Eric Biondo.
In October 2016, Giovanni Hidalgo underwent the amputation of his left ring finger due to a health complication. Demonstrating remarkable resilience and creativity, he has since adapted his technique to include the use of sticks and other innovative methods. Despite this challenge, Hidalgo remains active in the music world, performing, teaching, and inspiring a new generation of musicians. In recent years, he has focused on small ensemble projects, including a new trio format that highlights his artistry in intimate and exploratory musical settings. His continued evolution as a musician has only deepened his legacy as one of the most influential percussionists of all time.

Awards and honors

In 1991, Hidalgo received a Grammy Award for his contribution to the album Planet Drum, performed by an ensemble of the same name led by Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead. He played on another one of Hart's Grammy-winning albums, Global Drum Project and on the album Danzón (Dance On) by Arturo Sandoval which won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance. Hands of Rhythm, Hidalgo's album with Michel Camilo, received a Grammy nomination, as did The Body Acoustic, al album recorded by Hidalgo, David Chesky, Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer, and Andy Gonzalez.
In May 2010, Hidalgo was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music during the sixteenth consecutive year that faculty members from the school visited Puerto Rico for one of its global outreach programs.

Discography

As leader

  • 1992: Villa Hidalgo
  • 1993: Worldwide
  • 1995: Time Shifter
  • 1997: Hands of Rhythm
  • 1999: Best Friends
  • 2024: ''Jubilation''

As sideman

With Batacumbele
With Zaperoko
  • 1984: Still Crazy
  • 1986: Tarde en la Noche
  • 2006: Zaperoko 3
With Dave Valentin
  • 1987: Mind Time
  • 1988: Live at the Blue Note
With Kip Hanrahan
  • 1985: Few Short Notes From the End Run
  • 1990: Tenderness
  • 1995: All Roads Are Made of the Flesh
With Airto Moreira
With Hilton Ruiz
  • 1992: Manhattan Mambo Soundtrack
  • 1992: Live at Birdland
  • 1995: Hands on Percussion
With Paquito D'Rivera
  • 1987: Celebration
  • 1990: Reunion
With Eddie Palmieri
  • 1984: Palo Pá Rumba
  • 1985: Solito
  • 1987: The Truth-La Verdad
  • 2005: Listen Here!
With Jazz Hamilton
  • 2008: My Soul
With The Brian Lynch / Eddie Palmieri Project
  • 2006: Simpático
With Tito Puente
With Mickey Hart
With Flora Purim
With Humberto Ramirez
  • 1992: Jazz Project
  • 1993: Aspects
  • 1999: Best Friends
With Michel Camilo
  • 1994: One More Once
  • 2011: Mano a Mano
With Freddie Hubbard
With Dizzy Gillespie
With McCoy Tyner
  • 1999: McCoy Tyner & The Latin All-Stars
  • 2007: Afro Blue
With Jerry Rivera
  • 1990: Abriendo Puertas
  • 2009: DOS Clasicos
With others

Filmography

  • 1995 - Conga Virtuoso Warner Bros.
  • 1996 - In The Tradition Warner Bros.
  • 2004 - Traveling Through Time Music Video Distributors