News

My Father’s Eyes: Pedrito Martinez Featuring Eric Clapton

25 Sep 20

WATCH THE VIDEO! Renowned conguero and percussionist Pedrito Martinez has released a new lyric video for his version of “My Father’s Eyes” featuring Eric Clapton. The song, penned by EC, was the opening track on his 1998 album, Pilgrim. It went on to earn the guitarist a Grammy Award for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance.

Martinez’s reimagined duet with EC will be on his upcoming album, Acertijos, expected in early 2021. The two musicians collaborated in a London recording studio last year when Eric added vocals and guitar to the track. The album will also include “Yo Si Quiero,” another track featuring EC on guitar. Both songs are currently available on all popular digital music services.

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1973, Pedrito settled in New York City 1998. Two years later, he was awarded the Thelonius Monk Award for Afro-Latin HandPercussion and had appeared in the documentary, Calle 54.

Pedrito is widely regarded as the leading percussionist in Latin jazz and has recorded or performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Chucho Valdez, Sting and Eric Clapton. To date, he has contributed, as a percussionist and vocalist, to over 50 albums.

His career as a band leader kicked off in 2005. The Pedrito Martinez Group’s self-titled debut, produced by Steve Gadd, came out in 2013. It received a Grammy nomination and was chosen among NPR’s Favorite Albums of that year and was named one of The Boston Globe Critics Top Ten Albums of 2013. The follow-up record, Habana Dreams, was released in June 2016. Accolades for Habana Dreams include #1 Latin Jazz Album in NPR’s Jazz Critics Top Jazz Albums for 2016 and being named among The Boston Globe World Music Albums for 2016.

In September 2019, Pedrito performed alongside Eric Clapton in a five-song set at the guitarist’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas, Texas.