Fernando García

“Puerto Rican drummer Fernando García is part of a young vanguard of musicians who are celebrating the island’s folk traditions by studying it faithfully, reproducing it, then combining it with jazz in a sound that sounds familiar yet so-very-new.” -Felix Contreras, Alt. Latino – NPR Born and raised in Puerto Rico, García holds degrees from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico (B. A.), Berklee College of Music, Valencia, Spain (Master’s in Performance), and Teachers College, Columbia University (Master’s in Music Education). In New York City, he has established himself as a drummer, percussionist, composer, and educator. Throughout his career, he has worked equally as a leader and sideman playing with great musicians such as Gabriel Vicéns, Jan Kus, Víctor Pablo, Dan Martínez, Gabriel Chakarji, Cheo Pardo, Felipe Fournier, Ricardo Pons, Alain Pérez, Victor Mendoza, John Benitez, Ximo Tébar, Nathaniel Townsley, Jim Ridl, Boris Koslov, and Miguel Zenón, Alex “Apolo” Ayala, Ivan Renta, Mateo Gonzalez, among others. As a bandleader, García has produced four albums: Desde Arriba (F. García Music, 2012), Subidor (Montalvo Records, 2013), Guásabara Puerto Rico (ZOHO Music, 2018), and Behique (Sunnyside Records 2023). Fernando received the prestigious New Jazz Works grant by Chamber Music America in 2021, and his latest album was recognized by Fundacion Para La Cultura Popular de Puerto Rico as one of the 20 most influential records by Puerto Ricans in the year 2023.