Chino Nunez

Official Biography - Courtesy of Chino Nunez Website

Written by Elaine Sanchez - Nunez

There are too many adjectives to describe Chino's acquired                    professional credentials i.e., percussionist extraordinaire,                      pianist, arranger, conductor, composer, producer, engineer,                          and educator. Chino is one of most accomplished, respected                       and sought freelance arranger, composer, producer, director,                   clinician and percussionist on the East Coast and beyond. In his lifetime, Chino has received numerable achievement awards most recently with Spanish Harlem Orchestra when they won the 2004 Grammy; 2005 Latin Grammy nomination and Latin Billboard nomination; 2004 International Reggae
& World Music Awards nomination; 2003 Latin Billboard nomination; and a 2002 Grammy nomination.

He has performed in a broad arena of venues worldwide including the increasingly popular Salsa Congresses; Carnegie Hall;Lincoln Center; Madison Square Garden; Northsea Jazz Festival; Montreal Jazz Festival; Tito Puente Amphitheatre and the Bellas Arte Performing Arts Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Newport Jazz Festival, Newport News, RI; Trump Plaza Casino,
Atlantic City, NJ; Las Vegas, Nevada; and countless other venues worldwide.

Most recently recognized as the timbalero for the Spanish Harlem Orchestra he is the musical director his own band Chino Nunez & Friends, Ray Sepulveda and Johnny Rivera.   He has also performed and/or recorded with the legendaries Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto and Hector Lavoe; and is also frequently called upon to perform and/or record with the
likes of El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico; Tito Nieves; Oscar DeLeon, Tito Rojas; Gilberto Santa Rosa; Victor Manuelle; Jerry Rivera; Ruben Blades; Johnny Pacheco; Adalberto Santiago; Ismael Miranda; Cheo Feliciano; Larry Harlow; Yomo Toro; Luis Perico Ortiz; Domingo Quinones; La India; Marc Anthony; Brenda K. Starr; Michael Stewart; Jimmy Bosch; Frankie Vasquez
Y Los Soneros del Barrio; Ernie Acevedo Y Su Conjunto Imagen; Rafael DeJesus Y Su Orquesta; Conjunto Clasico; Cindy Lauper; and a host of other artists in different genres.

He has toured extensively from coast to coast and abroad, currently with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. However, most memorable were his performances with the legendary’s Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Ray Barretto, and many others whose music he absorbed and also considers instrumental to his success today. He has also engaged in numerous Broadway Show
projects including Evita, The Cape Man and Lion King, and occasionally played the shows. In addition, he has made an abundance of videos and had a cameo role with Adalberto Santiago & His Orchestra in a major motion picture entitled Moscow on the Hudson starring Robin Williams and Maria Conchita Alonzo.At his recording studio, JanMar Productions,
Chino meticulously and methodically composes, arranges and performs the indefatigable unique and rhythmic swing projects that he is distinctively known for such as salsa, Latin jazz, reggaeton, hip hop & R&B rhythms. His performance and recording success dictated in his lifetime discography library can be found on his website www.chinonunez.com.

Chino is supportive of the Arts through community-based initiatives and promotes positive example through music with organizations such as Music Against Drugs and the Boys & Girls Harbor of Performing Arts. He is also passionate about his involvement with inner-city children and has sponsored little league softball teams and volunteers at youth-oriented functions. Chino is also an avid baseball enthusiast and has directed the Ray Sepulveda Orquestra in numerous performances at the Yankee Stadium for World Series and ACLS games, as well as other MLB events.

A self-taught musician, Chino has undoubtedly made his mark in the industry. Today, with hundreds of compositions to his credit, his “style” is one of the most respected, recognized and in-demand on the East Coast. As an educator his teachings known for there simplistic yet thorough lessons have earned him worldwide recognition. He has facilitated clinics, workshops and seminars in a variety of sectors including conferences, conventions and University’s i.e., Cornell, Long Island and Villanova. In 2004, Chino embarked with Albert Torres Productions as an instructor for what is now known as an annual musicians’ seminar which takes place at the annual World Salsa Congress in Los Angeles, CA.

Chino’s endorsements include Latin Percussion (“LP”) where he produced, performed and narrated an instructional DVD entitled The Rythmic Construction of a Salsa Tune, Vol. I. Volume II is scheduled for release in the summer of 2006. In the summer of 2005, he released his production on Cookita Records entitled It’s SHOtime, Strictly Hardcore On 1 or 2, A
Tribute to Dancers. The CD has broken all the rules consistently making the top play lists throughout the United States, Europe and Asia and was voted Latin Beat Magazine’s top 10 CD of the year for 2005 where Homenaje al Bailador composed and arranged by Chino Nunez is included in their compilation CD Siempre Salsa.

Chino's mission is to become a pivotal player in improving better business ethics to the advantage of musicians and their
future.