TRUCO & ZAPEROKO: BOMBA, PLENA, RUMBA & SON!

TRUCO & ZAPEROKO is a highly innovative and creative music group that excels in salsa and folklore. Their music is challenging to categorize as the band’s musicians are highly versatile and offer various musical styles beyond the traditional orchestral classifications. Their music caters to salsa lovers, folkloric enthusiasts, and jazz fans. The group is led by the experienced musical director and trombonist Edwin “Zaperoko” Feliciano, and it has quickly become a crowd favorite for its infectious rhythms.

The group specializes in bomba and plena rhythms. However, their music is equally popular among salsa dancers. So much so that the album “Música Universal” was nominated for a Grammy in the Salsa-Merengue category.

Héctor Valentín, Edwin Feliciano, and his group Zaperoko have created a unique blend of rhythms in their song “Los Pleneros del Truco.” Their fusion has set a new trend that both plena and salsa groups follow. In Gilberto Santa Rosa’s album “Auténtico,” the song “Lo que arrasó” features Edwin “Zaperoko” Feliciano and the Maysonet Brothers, who contributed to the recording and added their signature rumba-plena style to the song.

Truco & Zaperoko presents a revolutionary approach to Puerto Rican music, which offers an exciting alternative. The band comprises several highly sought-after musicians in Puerto Rico who have formed a close-knit family, emanating a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that is evident in their music. Their music seamlessly blends rhythm, flavor, feeling, and emotion, showcasing a diverse range of Caribbean and tropical musical styles that provide a unique musical experience that will leave you wanting more.

Truco & Zaperoko’s music has been widely recognized. They earned critical acclaim for their unique sound, innovative blend of Cuban timba, urban street vocal styles, solos, and jazzy harmonies. Their “Universal Music” album was considered one of the best albums of 2003 and ranked among the top ten jazz productions of the year.

Truco & Zaperoko’s music is distributed in more than 43 countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Their albums “Fusión Caribeña” (1999), “Música Universal” (2004), and “En Plena Rumba” (2010) are considered collector’s items by critics. The band’s innovative sound has received critical acclaim from various reviewers, such as the New York Times, Latin Beat magazine, Jazz Times, and the New York Post. The band is praised for its originality and ability to transform popular songs in various directions.

“Truco & Zaperoko-Live in Dax, France” is a DVD-video recording of two concerts performed by the group at the Bullfighting and Salsa Festival in France in 2006. Highly acclaimed by critics, the recording is recommended by www.descarga.com. François Charpentier, the Festival’s director, praised the group, calling them the “legitimate universal ambassadors of Afro-Caribbean music.” The fans were so impressed that they requested the group be invited to the September 2009 edition of the Festival, which is uncommon as the Festival has a no-repeat policy.

Truco & Zaperoko’s recording “En Plena Rumba” gained popularity on the international charts. Their latest offering is the DVD “Truco & Zaperoko/Live Studio Sessions,” which features the complete recording of “En Plena Rumba.”

BEFORE TRUCO & ZAPEROKO, THERE WAS ZAPEROKO! TO LEARN MORE, CLICK HERE