Eduardo Martinez Arvilla

About the Artist

Eduardo Martínez Arvilla was born in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, where he began his music studies at The School of Fine Arts in Cartagena. A well-known researcher and folklorist of the traditions of the Colombian Caribbean, Martínez Arvilla studied under the great singer and songwriter Estefanía Caicedo as well as the drumming pioneers Paulino Salgado Valdez (Batata III), Gabriel Torregloza, Jose Lara and Encarnación Tovar. Martínez Arvilla is a Grammy winning percussionist and a Gaitero (master of the Colombian Gaita) and has dedicated his life to the study and in-depth research of the folklore and traditions of the Colombian Caribbean. He has worked with innumerable groups and artists including Estefanía Caicedo y su Grupo Cartagena de Indias, Totó La Momposina y sus Tambores, Petrona Martínez, Ballet Nacional de Colombia directed by Sonia Osorio, Leonor Gonzalez Mina , Moisés Angulo y La Gente Del Camino, Chelito de Castro y su Orquesta, Grupo Madera de Venezuela, Francisco Zumaque and Diego Valdez among others. Martínez Arvilla has lead Afro-Colombian drumming seminars and workshops throughout South America, Europe, Asia and the United States. Martinez Arvilla continues to be an ambassador for his native Colombia and has a great passion for sharing his musical tradition with the community at large.