Any discussion about music in Puerto Rico is incomplete without mentioning Humberto Ramírez. Over the past 40 years, this Grammy Award-winning artist has excelled as a trumpeter, pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, musical director, radio show host, educator, and jazz enthusiast and is deeply involved in every aspect of Puerto Rican music.
It’s not a stretch to say that Ramírez is one of the island’s most in-demand and successful artists.
Ramírez’s love for jazz was ignited by his father, Humberto Ramirez Sr., a talented saxophonist and bandleader. From an early age, his father introduced him to the music of Tito Puente, Machito, Tito Rodriguez, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. When Ramirez Jr. was eleven, his father encouraged him to study orchestration and learn to play the flugelhorn.
After completing his studies at Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan, Ramírez graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, majoring in jazz composition. He then refined his skills at the Dick Grove School of Music, focusing on film and composition.
After graduating, he returned to Puerto Rico. He quickly gained recognition as the musical director of the esteemed bandleader Willie Rosario.
His first nomination was for the album “Nueva Cosecha” by Willie Rosario in 1985, then for “Hecho en Puerto Rico” by Willie Colón in 1993, “Tony Vega” in 1996, and “Olga Viva, Viva Olga” by Olga Tañón which earned him He won the Grammy Award in 2000.
In 2013, Ramírez was nominated for a Latin Grammy for his album “Sentimentales” with Lucy Fabery. Since then, he has received 6 Platinum albums, 12 Gold albums, 4 “Visionary Awards,” and six “Your Music” awards.