Instruments

Percussion

A percussion instrument is one that is struck, or sometimes shaken, to produce sound. The fact that players are often credited with the general "percussion" rather than with performance on individual percussion instruments reflects the centrality and variety of percussion sounds in modern popular music: percussionists in contemporary genres--not only pop and rock but also jazz, country, and even electronic music--perform on a battery of instruments capable of different timbres and tones. Percussion instruments are divisible into those where the main body of the instrument produces sound when struck ("idiophones") and those with a skin or membrane ("membranophones," which include drums).

Artist Highlights

Artist Active Styles
Mickey Hart 1960s - 2020s Ethnic Fusion, Worldbeat
Sabu Martinez 1940s - 1970s Afro-Cuban, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Cuban Traditions, Exotica, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Rumba, Mainstream Jazz
James Blades Afro-Cuban, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Cuban Traditions, Exotica, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Rumba, Mainstream Jazz
Willie Bobo 1940s - 1980s Boogaloo, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Latin Soul, Latin Folk
Airto Moreira 1950s - 2020s Afro-Brazilian, Brazilian Jazz, Brazilian Pop, Brazilian Traditions, Crossover Jazz, Fusion, Global Jazz, MPB, Latin Jazz, Worldbeat
Obo Addy 1970s - 2000s Worldbeat, African Traditions, African Folk
Mongo Santamaría 1950s - 1990s Afro-Cuban Jazz, Boogaloo, Cuban Jazz, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Crossover Jazz, Cuban Traditions
Cyril Neville 1960s - 2020s Funk, Soul, Southern Soul
Emil Richards 1950s - 1990s Global Jazz, Hard Bop, Latin Jazz, Post-Bop, Film Score, Jazz Instrument, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
Hal Blaine 1940s - 2010s Rock & Roll, AM Pop
Gene Estes 1960s - 2000s Jazz Instrument, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
Carlinhos Brown 1980s - 2020s Afro-Brazilian, Brazilian Jazz, Brazilian Pop, Global Jazz, MPB, Brazilian Traditions
Giovanni Hidalgo 1980s - 2020s Afro-Cuban Jazz, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz
Candido 1930s - 2020s Afro-Cuban Jazz, Boogaloo, Bop, Cuban Jazz, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz
Jose Mangual 1970s Afro-Cuban Jazz, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Tropical, Jazz Instrument, Trumpet Jazz
Milton Cardona 1980s - 1990s Latin Pop, Worldbeat
Naná Vasconcelos 1970s - 2010s Afro-Brazilian, Brazilian Jazz, Global Jazz, Soundtracks, Brazilian Traditions, Latin Jazz, Film Score
Babatunde Olatunji 1950s - 2000s African Folk, Nigerian, African Traditions, Global Jazz, West African, Afro-Pop, Worldbeat
Lee "Scratch" Perry 1950s - 2020s Dub, Roots Reggae, Political Reggae, Rocksteady, Reggae-Pop
Zakir Hussain 1960s - 2020s Global Jazz, Indian Classical, Indian Subcontinent Traditions, Indian, Raga