Luis Conte


Luis Conte is a Cuban percussionist best known for his performances in the bands of artists including James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Shakira. He began his music career as a studio musician for Latin Jazz acts like Caldera. Conte's live performance and touring career took off when he joined Madonna's touring band in the 1980s. Neil Strauss of The New York Times describes Conte's playing as "grazing Latin-style percussion".
Conte immigrated to Los Angeles in 1967, where he attended Los Angeles City College studying music, and entrenched himself in the music community. Conte's career includes composing and playing in ABC TV's Dancing with the Stars band, along with many TV and film projects.

Early years

Conte was born in Santiago de Cuba. As a child, Conte began his musical odyssey playing the guitar. However, he soon switched to percussion, and that has remained his primary instrument ever since.
He was sent to Los Angeles by his parents in 1967, in order to prevent him from being forced to serve in the Cuban military. This was a turning point in Conte's life, as the musical community in Los Angeles during this period was quite vibrant. It was during this period that he studied at Los Angeles City College.

Musical career

Conte proved himself versatile musically, and by 1973 he was playing regularly in local clubs. He quickly became a busy studio musician, and throughout the 1970s he played in the Latin jazz band Caldera.
In the 1980s, Conte toured with several different musicians including Madonna, guitarist Al Di Meola, and Andy Narell. His debut as a bandleader came in 1987 when he released La Cocina Caliente, which included a Latinized version of Chopin's "Susarasa". Conte also played percussion on the Pat Metheny Group release 'We Live Here' in 1995, on the Pat Metheny album 'From This Place' in 2020, as well as I Mother Earth's first two albums Dig and Scenery and Fish.
Conte has toured as part of James Taylor's "Band of Legends." He has also played alongside musicians including Alex Acuña, Jaguares, Larry Klimas, and David Garfield, both as a bandleader and a sideman.
Luis Conte was part of Phil Collins' 1997 "Dance into the Light" tour and 2004 "First Farewell Tour", performing Afro-Cuban percussion in both of them and adding more depth into the concert songs. He also performed during The Phil Collins Big Band tours in 1996 and 1998, and again during the Phil Collins Not Dead Yet tours in 2017–2018.
In 1999 Conte collaborated in the Maná MTV Unplugged project.
In 2009, Conte worked together with Sergio Vallín in his Bendito Entre Las Mujeres album.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

  • La Cocina Caliente
  • Black Forest
  • The Road
  • Cuban Dreams
  • ''En Casa De Luis''

    As sideman (in alphabetical order)

With Peter Allen
  • Making Every Moment Count
With Anastacia
  • Not That Kind
With Angelica
  • Angelica
With Paul Anka
  • Rock Swings
With Patti Austin
With George Benson
  • Absolute Benson
With Michelle Branch
  • Hotel Paper
With Michel Jonasz
  • Où est la Source
With Jackson Browne
  • I'm Alive
  • Looking East
  • The Naked Ride Home
  • Standing in the Breach
With George Cables
  • Shared Secrets
With Glen Campbell
  • Meet Glen Campbell
With Belinda Carlisle
With Steven Curtis Chapman
With Cher
  • Love Hurts
With Chicago
  • Night & Day: Big Band
With Toni Childs
  • House of Hope
With Joe Cocker
  • Across from Midnight
With Natalie Cole
  • Good to Be Back
  • Take a Look
With Phil Collins and The Phil Collins Big Band
With Rita Coolidge
  • Behind the Memories
With David Crosby
  • Thousand Roads
With Gavin DeGraw
  • Gavin DeGraw
With Céline Dion
  • Falling into You
  • A New Day Has Come
  • One Heart
With Lara Fabian
  • Lara Fabian
With Clare Fischer
  • 2+2
  • And Sometimes Voices
With John Fogerty
With Aretha Franklin
  • This Christmas, Aretha
With Nelly Furtado
  • Loose
With Charlotte Gainsbourg
  • IRM
With Josh Groban
  • All That Echoes
  • Bridges
With Thelma Houston
  • Throw You Down
  • A Woman's Touch
With Al Jarreau
  • Tomorrow Today
  • Accentuate the Positive
With Jewel
With Elton John
  • Duets
With Gregg Karukas
  • Sound Of Emotion
  • Summerhouse
  • You'll Know It's Me
  • Blue Touch
  • Nightshift
  • Heatwave
  • GK
With Chaka Khan
  • Funk This
With Patti LaBelle
  • Miss Patti's Christmas
With David Lasley
With Julian Lennon
  • Mr. Jordan
With Kenny Loggins
  • Back to Avalon
  • Leap of Faith
With Madonna
  • Like a Prayer
With Ziggy Marley
With Richard Marx
  • Paid Vacation
With Christine McVie
  • In the Meantime
With Bette Midler
  • It's the Girls!
With Kylie Minogue
  • Rhythm of Love
With Michael Nesmith
  • Tropical Campfires
  • Rays
With Jennifer Paige
  • Jennifer Paige
With Bonnie Raitt
  • Slipstream
With Emily Remler
  • This Is Me
With LeAnn Rimes
  • Twisted Angel
With Linda Ronstadt
  • Frenesí
With Brenda Russell
With Boz Scaggs
  • Fade Into Light
With Selena
  • Dreaming of You
With Shakira
With Vonda Shepard
  • Vonda Shepard
With Lisa Stansfield
  • Lisa Stansfield
With Rod Stewart
  • Vagabond Heart
With Curtis Stigers
  • Brighter Days
With Barbra Streisand
With James Taylor
  • October Roads
  • A Christmas Album
  • James Taylor at Christmas
  • Covers
  • Other Covers
  • Before This World
  • American Standard
With Terence Trent D'Arby
  • Vibrator
With Julieta Venegas
  • Bueninvento
With Roger Waters
  • Amused to Death
With Tony Joe White
  • Lake Placid Blues
  • One Hot July
With Deniece Williams
  • Special Love
With Paul Young
  • The Crossing
With Carlos Santana
BMG 2000
With Warren Zevon'
  • ''The Wind''