Joel Hierrezuelo

​Born in Havana in 1972, Joel Hierrezuelo Balart grew up sharing the musical world of his family, Lorenzo, Caridad and Reynaldo Hierrezuelo was they greats uncles but it is specially his father showing him the way of Percussions, At a very young age, when he began guitar studies at the Academy of Music. At 12 he started singing and playing percussions in amateur bands.
In 1995, he graduated as a music professor from the Havana Instituto Superior Pedagógico. - September -1995-1996:
Joel sings in the group Ricoson with which he toured in France. Back in Cuba, he play with the Polito Ibanez band and begins playing percussions in the band Temperamento with Roberto Fonseca, Javier Zalba, and Ruy Lopez Nousa.

-1997: Joel moves to Paris and plays in various bands with the likes of Alfredo Rodriguez, Miguel Anga Diaz, Dj Dinasty, Diego Pelaez, Camillo Azuquita, Orlando Poleo, Sabor a Son, Raul Paz, Paris Salsa All Star, and with Beny Suarez y su Son. He shares the stage with well-known artists such as Tito Allen, Guillermo Fellove, José Alberto « El Canario », Celia Cruz, Caterine Lara, Jimmy Bosh, Ernesto Tito Puentes, , Mokhtar Samba ,Roberto Plat group, Jimmy Sabater, Jose Mangual Junior, Roberto Torres.

-1998- 2001 As a singer, he recorded the album - "La Charanga" - with the group Cubaïla (1998) and "Latinoriental" (2000) of the duo "Jomed" with the singer Algerian Hamidou. From then on, he takes part in numerous musical adventures such as percussionist Miguel Anga Diaz album « Echu Mingua »(2000) and pianist Alfredo Rodriguez y los Asereko’s « Cubanjazz. »(2001), Line Kruse " Dream ", Enma Baya, Salome de Bahia and Bob Sinclar, North African Groove, Paris Salsa All Star, Sabor a Son. He sings on mix-albums such as Sos Dialogue, Party Mix 1998, Mega Dance Millenium, Cubana Café 1 & 2.

-2002-2005: he founds MAMBI with Carlos Miguel Hernandez, Luis Manresa, Fino Gomez and Yaite Ramos. On MAMBI’s recorded the album « Al Machete, » he is joined by Tata Guines, José Luis « Changuito » Quintana, Alfredo Rodriguez, Julio Padron, Miguel Anga Diaz.
-2006: he records with Africando Group “Ketukuba” recording .With Michelle Charropin Alfredo Rodriguez wife he produced “Oye Afra” in memorian Alfredo Rodriguez .

-2007-2016: After ten years Joel re-integrate and records with Roberto Fonseca band: “Akokan” (2008), “Live in Marciac”(2009), “Yo” (2011,Nominate Grammy awards for the best latin Jazz Album) and Roberto Fonseca & Fatumata Diawara “Live in Marciac” as a percussionist and performing major international tours arrow the word and produced in important festivals: Montreal Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz, North Sea Festival, Jazz in Marciac, Jazz a Vienne, Monterrey Jazz Festival, Woomad Adelaide, Woomad New Zeland, Sidney Opera House , Blue Note Tokyo, L’Olympia in Paris, Juan-Les Pain Festival, Barbican Hall in London, the Ronnie Scott’s London, Royal Festival Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Pori Jazz Festival, Jazz à Vienne, San Francisco Davies Symphony Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, New York Hihgline Ballroom Paris Duc de Lombars, New Morning in Paris, Luxemburg Phillarmonic Hall, Hong Kong Arts Festival, an many others.
In the same time he collaborates with different projects: Omara Portuondo ( Magia Negra Tour ), Havana Cultura tour with Gilles Peterson, Alex Terrier Cuban Project, Mayra Andrade, Ibrahim Malouff, Felipe Cabrera, Munir Hossn, Etienne M’Bappe, Minino Garay and Frapadingos, Véronique Herman Sabin,Abraham Mansfarrol & Campana Projet "Dizzy el afrocubano", Sabor a Son and his project Mambí.

2017 Joel joins the group of the very famous duo Malian Amadou & Mariam and realize more than 80 concerts throughout Europe, the United States, Canada and Africa: We Love Green Festival, Marseilles Fiesta of the Souths, Chorus of Ht de Seine - Musical Seine, Mawazine Festival, Chicago Millenium Park, New York Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, San Francisco Stern Grove Festival, Quebec International Festival, EdmontonFolk Festival, Montreal African Nights Festival, Hungary Vidor Festival, Dusseldorf New Fall Festival - Capitol and many others.

Joel is also preparing his next recorded album with Yonathan Avishai, Felipe Cabrera, Lukmil Perez, Luis Manresa and Munir Hossn a musical trip through his roots and influences accumulated throughout this career and his performing in concert at Sunset the mythical Parisian jazz club.

BANDS & COLLABORATIONS:
CURRENTLY ON TOUR WITH AMADOU & MARIAM. PREVIOUS TOURS AND COLLABORATIONS: ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ Y LOS ASEREKÓS-OMARA PORTUONDO-ROBERTO FONSECA-ANGA DIAS-FATUMATA DIAWARA-MAYRA ANDRADE-MANU KATCHÉ-YONATHAN AVISHAI-SALOME DE BAHIA - BOB SYNCLAIR-MUNIR HOSSN-VERONIQUE HERMAN SAMBIN-GILLES PETERSON & HAVANA CULTURA-AFRICANDO-TATA GUÎNES-JOSE LUIS QUINTANA(CHANGUITO)-MAMBI-FELIPE CABRERA-ALEX TERRIER-YURI BUENAVENTURA-DIEGO PELAEZ-RAUL PAZ- MOKHTAR SAMBA- LINE KRUSE-ROBERTO TORRES-TITO ALEN- PARIS SALSA ALL STARS-CUBAILA-HAMIDOU-ORLANDO POLEO-JOSE MANGUAL JUNIOR-JIMMY SABATER- ERNESTO TITO PUENTES-CAMILO AZUQUITA-FRAPADINGOS-ROBERTO PLAT ORQUESTA-DJ DINASTY.