Giovanni Hidalgo (born March 9, 1963, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is musician who is considered by many to be one of the top percussionist in the world today.
Giovanni received his primary education in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. His father and grandfather had been musicians themselves therefore, it was only natural that he was raised in a household surrounded by drums, bongos, congas and timbales. When he was eight years old, he received a conga for his birthday which was hand made by his father. As a young child he practiced and developed his speed and playing skills on the conga and on the other instruments in his house. He would drum a tune with sticks and then play the same tune with his hands. During his high school days he played in local gigs.
Giovanni's big break came when he auditioned and was hired by the Batacumbe Band in 1980. In 1981, he travelled with the band to Cuba where he met a musician by the name of Changuito. Together they were able to create a unique style of rhythum. They ushered in a new musical era in latin music.
In 1985. Giovanni was performing with Eddie Palmieri at the Village Gate in New York, when the legendary jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie walked in and listened to Giovanni play. So impressed was Gillespie with Giovanni, that he told him that someday in the future they must get together and play. In 1988, Giovanni joined the Dizzy Gillespie United Nations Jazz Orchestra.
In 1992, he released his first album titled "Villa Hidalgo" and that same year he was hired as an adjunct professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he taught all types of rhythms, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, reggae, African and jazz. He believes that every country has their own musical style and his objective was to capture the musical essence of these. He held this position until 1996, when he decided to continue performing on tours.
Among the musicians with which Giovanni has either performed or recorded with are: Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie and Eddie Palmieri, Jack Bruce, Paul Simon, Art Blakey and many others. In 2001, he recorded "Jazz Descargas" with the Conga Kings. His most current project is a DVD titled "Traveling Through Time".