THE CAJONEROS (cajon players)

The information of this link will be constantly updated and completed. Here, you will find a mini biography of the most outstanding cajoneros. We’ll try to give you the phone numbers and e-mails.

	ACUÑA, ALEX He is a remarkable Peruvian percussionist and a well-known battery player at an international level. He is from the Neciosup musical family. Alex has known how to combine technique and feeling in the exact doses, that is why he figures between the greatest percussionists. Although he is known as a battery player, he also succeeded in playing the cajon, and even created its own model. Alex Acuña is, with no doubt, our greatest percussionist at an international level.
	ALGENDONES FARFAN, JULIO "CHOCOLATE" (DEAD) He was in the folk movements for many years. We could say he was the first cajonero to participate in what is called Fusion. In his work, he includes the cajon, congas and bongo. He died in July 26th, 2004.
	ARCINIEGA, VICTOR “GANCHO” (DEAD) He was a cajonero of yore. He supported Francisco Monserrate in the use of the cajon as accompaniment for the waltz. He was a great admirer of the marinera and the polka. He was part of the musical group “Ricardo Palma” and protagonist of many memorable jaranas. He is considered one of the best cajoneros of all times.
	BALCAZAR, EDUARDO He is a cajonero of northern ancestry, of great inspiration when he plays northern tondero and marinera. His father and uncle were “The Balcazar Brothers”, a well-known duet in Chiclayo, in the department of Lambayeque, at the north of Peru.
	BARRENECHEA “CANANO”, REYNALDO (DEAD) He was a cajonero of yore. He was part of the group “La Cuadrilla Morena”. His last works were performed along with the guitarist Oscar Aviles. He accompanied all coastal genres. He was also a Limean Marinera singer. He died in 2002.
	CAMPOS DE LA COLINA, RONALDO (DEAD) He was a cajonero and a zapateador (kind of tap dancer) born in Cañete. After being part of the groups “Pancho Fierro” and “Cumanána”, and the group “Teatro y Danzas Negros del Perú, he founded “Perú Negro”, an Afro-Peruvian musical and dance ensemble, with which he travelled around the world showing his artistic proposal. Ronaldo created many cajon toques or golpes (beats) that are currently used. No doubt his name figures among the greatest Peruvian cajoneros. He died in August, 2001 and was buried at the rhythm of the cajones at the Lurin cemetery, south of Lima.
	CAMPOS, MARCOS He is a cajonero, percussionist and zapateador. He is the son of Ronaldo Campos. He lives in Mexico from 10 years now and accompanies the singer Tania Libertad.
	CAMPOS RONNY He is master Ronaldo’s youngest son, a zapateador and percussionist. He currently leads the ensemble Perú Negro.
	CAVERO, ARTURO "Sambo" He is a singer, cajonero and percussionist. For years he’s been a Caribbean music percussionist. Then, Oscar Aviles “discovered” him for the Peruvian music. From this encounter, guitar, cajon and voices, comes out the best criollo duet of all times. Cavero’s taste and feeling turned him into an extraordinary waltz and festejo performer.
	CASANOVA, LUIS At the beginning he was a dancer, then, he became a percussionist. He lives in the United States.
	DONGO, MARIA DEL CARMEN She started playing the bombo and later on switched to the cajon. For years she played with well-known Peruvian performers and made recordings. In year 2000 she started a campaign to have the cajon declared National Cultural Patrimony by the Peruvian Government. She reached her goal and celebrated it in an important ceremony carried out in October 31st, 2001 at the “Nicomedes Santa Cruz Auditorium” in the Parque de la Exposición in Lima.
	GONZALES, FERNANDO Many members from the Gonzales family were dedicated to art. Fernando was very young when he got into the Victoria Santa Cruz’s ensemble. Then, he was part of the Afro ballet “Black Expression”, afterwards, he founded “Ebano & Marfil” (Ebony and Ivory). He started dancing and ended up with the cajon.
	LAZÓN “POMADITA”, GERARDO (DEAD) For years he was a member of the television musical groups. He accompanied the criolla music performers with his “cajon echado”.
	LETURIA "COCKY", JORGE He was a cajonero who accompanied for years with his beats, the criolla and Afro-Peruvian music.
	LIY, MARIANO He started in percussion and then moved to the bass. He is a composer and an arranger. He also makes cajones. He invented the Cajon Padre.
	LOBATÓN “Huevito”, FREDDY He is a cajonero and a zapateador. He has also composed different festejos and zamacuecas. He is from the Lobatón family, whose members are devoted to Afro-Peruvian music, songs and dances.
	MEDRANO COTITO, JUAN He is a cajonero and a composer, and also a teacher. In percussion he’s gone all the way from traditional music to the genres called fusion. He has created several groups and accompanied countless performers.
	MONSERRATT "La Maquina", FRANCISCO (DEAD) 1882 – 1957. He excelled by his skills and perfection. He spent his last years working with compiler Rosa Mercedes Ayarza de Morales. For the experts he is the best cajonero of the Peruvian music. In the late forties, he performed the first cajon accompaniments for the waltz. Some were really happy because what he tried to do didn’t work. He had an extremely big repertoire of drum beats and he was really fast at improvising. In the book The Afro-Peruvian Cajon I said “he has no recording work”, however, the cajonisticologo Marco Aurelio Denegri gave me a cassette with several themes played with the cajon by Monserrate. It is very hard to get the original recordings done between 1950 and 1956.
	NICASIO FEBRES, MACARIO He is a percussionist and the Niño’s son (the Boy’s son). He has an impressive sense of rhythm. He has played with folklore, experimental, and salsa groups. He is considered one of the greatest Peruvian percussionists. Although he prefers leather instruments, he also knows the cajon techniques thoroughly.
	OLIVEROS, MARCO He is probably the Peruvian cajonero who has cared the most about the flamenco. He is also a teacher at the university workshops and at the Folklore Superior School. He has been a member of the National Symphonic Orchestra.
	PANCHANO, MARTA She is singer Lina Panchano’s sister. She is probably one of the first women to play the cajon. Today, she is still playing but with little promotion. I met her in the mid seventies.
	PARODI “Gigio”, LEONARDO He is a well-known percussionist. “Even though I am not black, I made my way through the Peruvian cajoneros”, he has said more than once. For some years he had played with the group “Armonía Criolla”. He left the ensemble to accompany several singers.
	RAMÍREZ, ARISTIDES (DEAD) He was a cajonero of yore. He was a member of “La Flor de Malambo”, Bartola Sancho Davila’s group. His lasts recordings were done with the group “Fiesta Criolla”.
	SIRIO "Pititi", EUSEBIO (DEAD) He was a fine cajonero and had accompanied the last thirty years best Afro-Peruvian singers. “Pititi” studied so deeply the cajon that he turned it into a solo instrument. He is, with no doubt, one of the last greatest cajon masters. A brain tumor left him blind but he continued to play. Unfortunately, his disease became worse and died in April, 2001.
	SOTO DE LA COLINA, CARLOS "Caitro" (DEAD) He was born in Cañete, south of Lima, in 1934. This cajonero, singer, composer, actor, and dancer has travelled around the world with the group Pancho Fierro, with Nicomedes Santa cruz, Chabuca Granda and the ensemble Peru Negro. “Caitro” was the first person to diffuse the cajon outside Peru. In the mid seventies, he gave the Andalusian guitarist Paco de Lucia a cajon, who introduced it into his musical ensemble. Spain would be conquered then by the cajon.
	VALDELOMAR, FELIX He is a percussionist from the Valdelomar “criolla” family. He is an accompanist musician but sings with his brother José Francisco. His father and uncle were a duet of singers.
	VALIENTE, ALFREDO He is an outstanding percussionist who played for years in different Lima’s night locals for spectacles. He returned to Peru after leaving abroad for many years.
	VÁSQUEZ DÍAZ, ABELARDO (DEAD) Abelardo was a singer, dancer, percussionist among other things. He is one of Porfirio’s sons, he is the fourth out of nine brothers, and six of them are musicians. He was an expert in the cajon, the checo and the congas, but he chose the cajita as accompanist for his songs in his last years. He undoubtedly was the last great dancer and singer of the Jarana Limeña (Marinera). He was a teacher for more than thirty years. He was the link between his generation and the most recent ones. He died in April, 2001.
	VASQUEZ DIAZ "Don Ojo”, OSVALDO (DEAD) He was a great cajonero and zapateador. He was Don Porfirio’s son. It was impossible to be his equal when he accompanied the marinera and the zamacueca with his cajon.
	VASQUEZ GOYONECHE “Mangue”, MANUEL He is a percussionist and a zapateador. He is Abelardo’s son. He outstands when he plays the cajon.
	VASQUEZ GOYONECHE “Juanchi”, JUAN CARLOS He is a percussionist and Abelardo’s son. He is more given to the congas than to the cajon lately. Today, he lives in Mexico and is part of Tania Libertad’s musical ensemble.
	VÁSQUEZ, JULIO (DEAD) He had a great sense of rhythm. The waltz accompaniment in Julio’s hands and cajon reached a very high level. He died in 2002.
	VILLALOBOS PEPE He is also a guitarist and composer of popular songs from the contemporary Peruvian music repertoire.
	ZAMBRANO, MOISÉS He is a cajonero and a zapateador of great level. His career is developed with the ensemble “Teatro y Danzas Negros del Perú” and then with the “Conjunto Nacional de Folklore” (Folklore National Ensemble). He is currently retired from the artistic activity.
	Other cajoneros: LEANDRO REYES MARCOS MOSQUERA VILLEGAS started in percussion in his youth; he prefers the congas, bongo and cajon. ALDO BORJAS is a great dancer but he has also been a cajonero and a percussionist many times. BRAULIO BARRERA GERARDO BARAHONA CHRISTIAN AQUIJE GUSTAVO VILLEGAS, battery player, is also a successful cajonero. CALI FLORES, starts with the charango, then continues in percussion. He also starts playing the cajon. JULIO TIRADO ROBERTO “CHINO” BOLAÑOS HUGO BRAVO is a percussionist and has played the cajon occasionally. JOSE LUIS CARRILLO FELIPE CARRILLO TOÑO GONZALES MIGUEL “BAM BAM” MIRANDA accompanied the “Chonducos” among others in 1982. THE AGUERO BROTHERS, JORGE AND MARIO PEDRO “PERICO” DIAZ JORGE VILLANUEVA “CHAPULIN” PEPE MANTERO FRANCISCO FLORES “PANCHO CALIENTE”(DEAD) MOISES GOYONECHE “CHANCACA”(DEAD) CORDOVA “EL PIBE PIURANO”(DEAD) JUVER (HOOVER) REYES PEDRO LOPEZ from Lambayeque MARCO ANTONIO ROLDAN from Lambayeque MELCHOR LOBATON from Chincha (DEAD) CARLOS BAHAMONDE of the “Carlos Saco” musical centre (DEAD) JUAN PEÑA LOBATON was a cajonero and a composer of the “Callao” musical centre in the fifties. (DEAD) THE “ZAMBO” URRESTI played in the Day of the Criolla Song first celebration (Oct. 31st, 1944). (DEAD) JOSE DE LA CRUZ “CHEVERE” PABLO VILLANUEVA (DEAD) was the nickname for the cajonero who worked for years in the television musical programs. I am not sure but his name can be Pablo Villanueva. ‘PACHARAQUITO” was the nickname for the cajonero of the “Los Pacharacos” group. I don’t know the name of this musician and I think he died a few years ago. JAIR SANTA CRUZ. Lima, 1984. He lives in Madrid. He plays the cajon since his childhood, and has been in presentations with the Santa Cruz Brothers and Victoria Santa Cruz. He has been the teacher of the cajon workshops in different schools. GABRIEL HERNANDEZ GUERRA ERNESTO SANDOVAL RODOLFO MUÑOZ plays the cajon and the Cuban percussion, he lives in France. “MOROCHO” CONTRERAS is the cajonero of the group “Los Trovadores del Norte”
	The Ballumbrosio Family Amador Ballumbrosio “Chevo”, percussion teacher at “La Tarumba”, a circus school in Lima. Roberto Ballumbrosio, percussion teacher at “La Tarumba”, a circus school in Lima. Cesar Ballumbrosio, percussion teacher at La Recoleta School in Lima. Living abroad: Filomeno Ballumbrosio, vocalist and percussionist of the “Combo Loco” group in North Carolina, USA. Camilo Ballumbrosio, percussionist of the group “Fusión Español”, 09/20/72, Madrid, Spain. José Ballumbrosio, percussion (cajon) teacher, member of the Afro-Peruvian group “Chincha”, director of the “Candela” association (promotes the Afro-Peruvian culture in France), Lyon, France. Miguel Ballumbrosio, percussion and cajon teacher, percussion instruments manufacturer (cajon, cajita, bata cajon, etc.). Member of the Afro-Peruvian group “Chinchivi” in Paris, France
	Among the women stand out: ZOILA GARCIA CAMPOS MONICA ROJAS THE ROBLES IZQUIERDO SISTERS, PETA AND CATA, cajoneras and zapateadoras. LAURA ROBLES LESLIE PATTEN MARIBEL MURGA
	Important Cuban cajoneros: ANGEL MORALES FELIX CAMPOS QUIRINO TIN SALOME FERNANDEZ ESTEBAN DOMINGO VEGA BACALAO, “CHACHA” ROSARIO OVIEDO “MALANGA” (DEAD) Dancer. Matanzas 1885 – Morón 1923. Nicknamed “Malanga”. He was an extraordinary dancer, he impressed when he used the knife technique, the glass of rum on the head technique, among other spectacular ones. His most famous dance partner was the legendary Andrea Baró. “Malanga” sang pretty good the Rumba, preferred the Columbia style and also knew the secrets of the cajon.
	Important Spanish cajoneros: ISRAEL SUAREZ “PIRAÑA” RUBEM DANTAS, considered Spanish for being close to Paco de Lucia but he was really born in Brazil. He was the one that introduced the cajon into Spain. MANUEL SOLER (DEAD) was born in 1943 and died in Sevilla in June 5th, 2003 when he was 60 years old. ANTONIO CARMONA was born in Granada in 1965. Expert in “pure flamenco”, he entered the fusion currents with “Ketama”. AMADOR LOZADA is a cajon teacher at “Casa Patas” in Madrid.

This is Rafael Santa Cruz’s web page, who is the author of the book and CD-ROM “El Cajon Afro Peruano”
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