Chembo corniel biography of mahatma

Wilson “Chembo” Corniel, Jr. Born in Manhattan on November 22, of proud Puerto Rican parents, Chembo was raised in the humble streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn. It was during these years, as a quick-witted youngster, that he had the privilege and honor to study with such percussion luminaries as, Tommy Lopez Sr., “Little Ray” Romero, Louie Bauza, and Cachete Maldonado.

Chembo honed his skills at The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in New York, and also at the prestigious La Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, Cuba under the direction of the great Chucho Valdés. His intense studies with such legends noted above channeled his energy onto a path where Wilson “Chembo” Corniel has now created a reputation for himself among musicians and the public.

Today, he is considered as one of the best hard-hitting, versatile percussionists around.

Chembo teaches percussion to students at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music a also at The Collective and