Jose Madera

Percussionist • Arranger • Orchestrator • Composer • Musical Director • Educator

Born in New York’s legendary Spanish Harlem, Jose Madera is the son of Jose “Pin” Madera, founding member and first arranger of the legendary Machito Orchestra. Surrounded by music from an early age, Jose inherited a rich musical tradition that has shaped one of the most distinguished careers in Afro-Cuban and Latin Jazz. Carrying on his father’s legacy, he has become one of the foremost arrangers, percussionists, orchestrators, composers, and musical directors in Latin music, respected worldwide for preserving its rich traditions while continually expanding its artistic possibilities.

Growing up surrounded by the pioneers who created Afro-Cuban jazz and mambo, Jose developed a firsthand understanding of the music’s traditions that few musicians of his generation could claim. Today, he serves as a living bridge between the founding architects of the genre and the artists who continue to carry its legacy forward.

Jose began his professional career performing with Machito before joining the legendary Tito Puente Orchestra in 1969. He remained with Tito Puente for the next 31 years, serving as percussionist, arranger, and ultimately Musical Director for the final 15 years under Tito Puente’s leadership. During that time, he emerged as one of Puente’s closest musical collaborators, writing and conducting many of the orchestra’s arrangements while helping preserve and expand one of Latin music’s most celebrated legacies.

While performing with Tito Puente, Jose also became an active participant in the rise of the Fania Records movement, widely regarded as the golden age of salsa. As one of New York City’s most sought-after recording and touring percussionists, he worked alongside many of the era’s legendary artists—including Johnny Pacheco, Larry Harlow, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, the Fania All-Stars, and countless others—helping shape the sound that introduced Afro-Caribbean music to audiences around the world.

Throughout his distinguished career, Jose has written and orchestrated hundreds of musical works and arrangements while performing and recording with many of Latin music’s most celebrated artists. He has recorded and performed with an extraordinary roster of musicians including Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Arturo O’Farrill, the Lincoln Center Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Celia Cruz, Tito Rodriguez, Fania All-Stars, Willie Colón, Joe Farrell, Machito, Graciela, Mario Bauzá, Willie Rosario, Earl Klugh, Eddie Palmieri, and many others.

Jose has collaborated with renowned Pop, R&B, Jazz, and Latin Jazz artists including Diana Ross, James Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Palmieri, Paquito D’Rivera, Tito Puente, Machito, Tito Rodriguez, George Benson, Mario Bauzá, Graciela, Celia Cruz, La Lupe, Willie Rosario, Janis Siegel, Lionel Hampton, and many others.

His extensive recording career includes performances on more than 500 recordings and contributions to over 20 Grammy-nominated and at least 12 Grammy-winning albums. Among these is the Grammy-nominated Watch Out! Ten Cuidao! (2010) by the Mambo Legends Orchestra.

Most recently, Jose served as co-producer, arranger, orchestrator, conductor, and percussionist for Hablando Música: La Música de José Madera, featuring six-time Grammy-winning vocalist Gilberto Santa Rosa and the Orquesta Filarmónica Arturo Somohano. Showcasing Jose’s original orchestral arrangements, the album celebrates a lifetime of musical creativity while blending the sophistication of the Great American Songbook with Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin orchestral traditions. The project represents Jose’s artistic vision of bringing together these rich musical traditions in a fresh and timeless way. Working alongside Santa Rosa over the course of more than a year, Jose helped create one of the defining artistic statements of his career, reflecting both his reverence for tradition and his commitment to creating music for future generations.

Jose’s work has also extended to television, film, and commercial music. His credits include The Simpsons and The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, for which he served as musical arranger and conductor for the Tito Puente segment. His work has also been featured in Mari Keiko González’s PBS documentary Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends (2024), winner of the Emmy Award for Best Cultural Documentary, which chronicles the Mambo Legends Orchestra’s mission to preserve and advance the music of New York’s legendary Palladium era. He was also featured in For the Love of the Mambo (2013), documenting the Mambo Legends Orchestra’s collaboration with students at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music. Jose also appeared in the feature film Armed and Dangerous, contributed to the soundtrack of The Incredible Shrinking Woman, and has arranged countless television and radio commercials for major national brands including Coca-Cola, KFC, Miller Beer, Schlitz Beer, Old English 800, and many others.

Beyond the concert stage and recording studio, Jose devoted 28 years to music education at Boys & Girls Harbor for the Performing Arts in East Harlem, New York. There, he mentored hundreds of young musicians, many of whom have gone on to successful careers as performers, educators, composers, arrangers, and recording artists. Through his unwavering dedication to preserving Afro-Cuban musical traditions and passing them on to future generations, Jose helped ensure that the rich musical heritage of East Harlem continues to thrive.

From 2001 through 2009, Jose served as Musical Director and percussionist for the acclaimed Latin Giants of Jazz, bringing together many of the most influential figures from Tito Puente’s former orchestra in celebration of the music’s extraordinary legacy. Following the ensemble’s evolution into the Mambo Legends Orchestra, Jose continues as its Musical Director, leading an ensemble comprised largely of former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra. Formed to preserve the musical legacy of Tito Puente and the Palladium era while continuing to create new works inspired by that tradition, the Grammy-nominated orchestra continues to perform internationally and is scheduled to release its newest recording in October 2026.

Recognized internationally for his artistry, Jose Madera continues to shape the future of Latin music through arranging, orchestrating, composing, conducting, recording, performing, and teaching. His musical arrangements continue to be performed by artists and orchestras around the world, reflecting a lifetime devoted to artistic excellence, innovation, and the preservation of Afro-Cuban musical traditions. Equally at home writing for Latin orchestras, jazz ensembles, symphony orchestras, film, television, and commercial productions, Jose has built a career defined by versatility, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to musical excellence. A sought-after clinician, he continues to present educational workshops and masterclasses internationally while remaining one of the most respected musical ambassadors of Afro-Cuban and Latin Jazz.

Jose Madera has proudly been endorsed by Latin Percussion for more than 52 years and is also endorsed by Remo and Vater.

For Jose’s complete biography, discography, original musical arrangements, news, upcoming performances, recordings, and additional information, please visit GoldenwoodMusic.com.