Arturo Rodriguez - Percussionist, Author, Teacher

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Coming from a musically infused childhood, the ever-versatile Arturo Rodriguez shares his passion for percussion with Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. An accomplished musician, author, and teacher, Rodriguez has performed worldwide, sharing the stage with music legends including Tito Puente, Dave Valentin, Paul Horn, and Pete Escovedo. Rodriguez says, "It is an honor and a privilege to have worked with these great musicians and icons of Latin music."

Never one to stand still for very long, LP endorsed percussionist Arturo Rodriguez is both a popular face and a powerful force on the local Seattle music scene. While moving through the boundaries of jazz, pop, rock, and even folk music, Rodriguez has an amazing talent for bringing and keeping people together in a social setting.

Rodriguez grew up in Los Angeles in a household where his mother was a passionate mambo and salsa dancer, and his father was an avid conguero who played with the Hispanic Music Association and formed the group Salsa Express. They made certain music was integral to everyday family life. Rodriguez admits it is no surprise that he wound up in a career so completely devoted to music, music performance, and music education, and so completely reflective of his childhood experiences.

"Each morning, my mother would wake us up for school with the music of Celia Cruz and Ismael 'Cortijo' Rivera, and a lot of soulful footwork in the livingroom."

Rodriguez' early love of percussion and percussion instruments led him to study with several prominent ethnomusicologists, and eventually became the genesis of his own company, Interact and Learn, that offers self-study courses, workshops, and public and private drum education for beginner through advanced drum students. Now with three books in his Ethnic Percussion Series (published by Mel Bay Publications), Rodriguez' teaching style stresses the importance of community.

"I see music as an opportunity for people to learn to work together. Playing music within a group is a lesson in social awareness and collective consciousness. Ultimately the goal is to give of one's self - to be as one with the music and the musicians."

These days, Rodriguez plays everything from restaurants to clubs to weddings to corporate events. Most recently, he played percussion on the Barack Obama music video, "Fired Up, Ready to Go".