Live Interview (Spanish)

José Roberto Hernández was born in Tabasco, México. He learned to play a multitude of instruments from the real masters: his pueblo’s street musicians. Early on in his musical education, he learned to play the baroque flute. Soon, however, he turned his attention to what he describes as his lifelong companion, the guitar.

As a young adult refining his musical abilities at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Música in Mexico City, José Roberto continued to add more and more instruments to his musical arsenal including the charango, cuatro, traditional flutes, tres, vihuela, violin, and countless percussion instruments. Today, José Roberto masters over forty traditional Latin American instruments. From his pre-hispanic compositions to his mastery of trova cubana, or Cuban New Song, José Roberto’s diverse musical education is ever-present in his performance work. As musical director of both José Roberto y Sus Amigos and Vinic-Kay, José Roberto has surrounded himself with musicians whose musical visions are complimentary to his own. By incorporating violin, traditional Latin American percussion, and impressive vocalists with his multi-instrumental dexterity and gifted arranging and composing abilities, José Roberto creates music that communicates the true spirit of Latin America.

Part One

Part Two

This show was broadcasted in Crónicas de la Raza KPFA FM