Chino is a percussionist extraordinaire, pianist and arranger. He also conducts, composes, produces, engineers, and teaches. Chino is a highly respected, sought-after freelance composer, producer and director as well as percussionist. Chino has won numerous achievement awards over his life, including the 2004 Grammy; Latin Grammy nomination and Latin Billboard nomination. He also received 2004 International Reggae & World Music Awards nomination. 2003 Latin Billboard nomination. A 2002 Grammy nomination.
He has performed at many venues around the world, including the Salsa Congresses, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, Northsea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival; Tito Puente Amphitheatre, and the Bellas Arte Performing Arts Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Newport Jazz Festival in Newport News, RI, Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, Las Vegas, Nevada, and many other venues.
He is most well-known as the timbalero of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra and the musical director of his own band, Chino Nunez & Friends. Ray Sepulveda; Conjunto Clasico; Cindy Lauper. He has recorded and performed with legendaries Tito Puente and Ray Barretto, as well as with Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz and Hector Lavoe. He is often called upon to record and perform with such artists as Victor Manuelle, Tito Nieves, Oscar DeLeon and Tito Rojas, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Adalberto Santiago, Adalberto Santiago, Yomo Toro, Luis Perico Ortiz, Domingo Quinones, Marc Anthony, Brenda K.
He has toured extensively, both from coast to coast and internationally, most recently with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. His most memorable performances were with Willie Colon and Ray Barretto. He also absorbed the music of Hector Lavoe and Ray Barretto. This is what he considers to be instrumental in his current success. Evita, The Cape Man, and Lion King were just a few of the Broadway Show projects that he was involved in. He also occasionally performed the roles. He has also made a lot of videos, and he was a part of Adalberto Santiago and His Orchestra’s major motion picture, Moscow on the Hudson. This movie starred Robin Williams and Maria Conchita Alonzo. You can find his entire discography collection at www.chinonunez.com. It includes his performances and record success.
Chino supports the Arts through community-based initiatives. He promotes positive example through music with organizations like Music Against Drugs or the Boys & Girls Harbor of Performing Arts. Chino is passionate about helping inner-city kids and has sponsored youth-oriented softball teams as well as volunteers. Chino is also a passionate baseball fan and has directed the Ray Sepulveda Orchestra in many performances at the Yankee Stadium for World Series, ACLS games as well as other MLB events.
Chino is a self-taught musician who has made a mark in the music industry. His “style”, which includes hundreds of compositions, is one of the most recognizable, respected and sought-after on the East Coast. His simple yet profound lessons and reputation as an educator have earned him international recognition. He has led clinics, workshops, and seminars in many sectors, including conventions, conferences, and universities such as Villanova, Long Island, Cornell, and Long Island. Chino joined Albert Torres Productions in 2004 as an instructor for the now-famous annual musicians’ seminar, which is held at the World Salsa Congress Los Angeles, CA.
Chino has endorsements with Latin Percussion (“LP”), where he performed, produced and narrated an instructional DVD called The Rythmic Construction of a Salsa Tune. I. Volume II will be released in the summer 2006. His 2005 production, It’s SHOTIME, Strictly Hardcore on 1 or 2, A Tribute To Dancers, was released by Cookita Records in the summer. It has been a smash hit and is now on the top of play lists in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Latin Beat Magazine voted it the best 10 CDs of 2005. Homenaje al Bailador was composed by Chino Nunez and included in their compilation CD Siempre Salsa.
Chino’s goal is to be a key player in improving business ethics for musicians and their future.