MARK A. VASQUES
Mark is our newest addition to the group. A Nuyorican born
and raised in Brooklyn, he grew up surrounded by the sounds
of the son and the guaguanco being played out on congas in
the local schoolyard. At home, his parents would spin their
78s of classic Cuban and Puerto Rican artists, which he got
sick of...only to rediscover them once he got older. When
his cousins became immersed in the disco and hip-hop scenes
of the 70s and 80s, he found his musical palate widening and
realized that music was becoming like air, water and food
for him. While going to high school and college in The Village,
he became increasingly exposed to other musical styles: rock,
funk, new wave, avant-garde, classical, reggae. But he couldn't
shake the need for percussion that had been ingrained in him
since childhood. He finally decided to respond to that need
in 2001 by investing in his first set of congas and taking
lessons.
Within a year, Mark was playing sets with the likes of
Ronnie Roc (a Brooklyn-based percussionist and Mark's first
instructor) and Vehicle (a New Orleans funk and R&B
band based in NJ), and became a regularly-featured performer
with Redhouse (a NJ rock/funk/blues/R&B cover band).
After meeting Joni through his day job, he was asked to
come out for some Dulce gigs and is now a resident artist.
Mark plays congas, bongos and timbales in addition to a
host of other percussion accent instruments (shekere, cowbell,
tambourine, clave, agogo bells, guiro, maracas, and other
goodies in his goody bag).
After meeting Joni through his day job, he was asked to
come out for some Dulce gigs in late 2003 and is now a resident
artist.
CONTACT
Mark A. Vasquez
Congero11@aol.com
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