intrumentos/instruments: batería/drums, percusión, bongó

endorsements: Yamaha, Zildjian

grupos/groups: Curriculum vitae

grabaciones/recordings: Yoel Paéz Discography

lugar de nacimiento/birthplace: Matanzas, Cuba (18 de junio 1974)

formación musical/musical background: graduado de la ENA

lugar actual de residencia/current residence: España/Spain

MySpace: www.myspace.com/YOELPAEZ

¡escúchalo! Issac en vivo: Con la punta del pie

equipo de Yoel Páez: Yoel Páez' Drumset

Yoel Páez es un baterista de la joven generación timbera cubana. Quizás es EL baterista que más aportes y más influencias ha dejado en la timba después de Calixto Oviedo, causando incluso la admiración de este grandioso instrumentista. Acumula ya una impresionante carrera, tocando con las orquestas más importantes en Cuba y España, y dominando cada instrumento percutivo. Su huella discográfica abarca ejecuciones del bongó, batá y su especialidad, drums con timbal. La amplia experiencia y los años de dedicación y su virtuosismo hacen de él un percusionista único, adecuado para cada género musical, e irrepetible en la música bailable contemporánea cubana... el fenómeno de la timba. Como diría cualquier rumbero, "es un percusionista con concepto y con bomba". Cada ejecución es un deleite. So....here we go, let’s enjoy it! [Majela Serrano]

Yoel Páez is an official endorser of Yamaha and Zildjian.

Yoel himself spells his name "Yoel Páez", but on most of his recordings it's written as "Joel Páez". In any case, he's one the top 4 or 5 top drummers in Timba, and possibly even the best, according to some fans. In addition to being a virtuoso and a groove machine, the defining quality of his style is his musicality. He never plays a "rhythm pattern" for its own sake. Everything he plays seems directly linked to whatever is going on musically in the arrangement at that moment. He had already been with Paulito for two albums when the legendary band that recorded "Con la conciencia tranquila" was formed. In 1999 he, Joel Domínguez and pianist El Majá

left Paulito to join Issac Delgado, resulting in another of Timba's most exciting groups. In January of 2000 he left Issac to go to Spain, but returned later that year to play in the star-studded Manolín group which played only a handful of concerts before being disbanded for the political reasons which led directly to Manolín's defection to Miami.

The solo in the audio example was played at a very emotional Issac Delgado concert held shortly after the tragic death of Los Van Van/NG La Banda conguero El Yulo. Issac dedicated this performance of "Con la punta del pie" to El Yulo. Before the climactic drum solo, check out the way Joel accompanies the solos of the conguero. Denis Savón, and the timbalero (Pachá).

Yoel is currently in Spain, doing well playing with a fairly famous rock band, but Timba fans everywhere are eagerly awaiting his return to the genre that he played such an important role in creating. [Kevin Moore]