Alex Acuña

The Peruvian drummer and percussionist Alex Acuña, is widely known as a gifted musician, teacher and clinician with innovative, amazing, raptured endless excited grooves played with pure heart. He performs almost everywhere in different groups and for him no style is a stranger. His style is influenced by Peruvian traditional music, Latin rhythms, and the playing of Elvin Jones and Tony Williams. Alex is highly regarded for his ability as a Latin-Jazz, Jazz-Rock, Fusion drummer and percussionist. He has been No.1 in Modern Drummer's Readers Poll for several years as the best Latin/Brazilian percussionist.

Alex was born the 12th of December 1944, in a small coast village called Pativilca, 100 miles north of the capital Lima, Peru, South America. He is an American citizen, located in Los Angeles. His stage name is Alex, but his real name is Alejandro Neciosup-Acuña. He learned trumpet and piano with his father, but is from the age of five self-taught on drums. He was playing professionally with local bands by the age of 10. As a 16 year old boy, he was working as a studio musician in Lima. This teenager became one of Peru's most accomplished session drummers, performing on many recording projects for album artists as well as film and television productions. He also earned a glowing reputation for his skills as a live performer.

In 1964, he was chosen by the great latin band leader Perez Prado, with the famous song Mambo, to join his big band and to work in Las Vegas. It was with the Prado Band that Alex first traveled to the United States. From 1966 to 1975 he played in bands and worked as a studio musician in Puerto Rico, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. During this period, he also studied for three years at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, playing as a classical percussionist under the direction of the famed spanish cellist master Pablo Casals.

Alex moved to Las Vegas in 1974, where he played with such greats as Elvis Presley and Diana Ross. Between 1975 to 1977 he made part of jazz history when he became both drummer and percussionist for one of the most innovative and pioneering jazz groups of our time Weather Report. First he performed as percussionist (October 1975 to April 1976), then as drummer (April 1976 to October 1977). He recorded two albums with the group; Black Market (1976) and the highly successful Heavy Weather (1977), including the famous tracks Birdland and Havona. Alex's next move was to Los Angeles, California in 1978. Here, Alex quickly became a valued session drummer and percussionist for records, television and motion pictures. His countless album credits and live performances include such diverse artists as U2, Paul McCartney, Al Jarreau, Joni Mitchell, Yellowjackets, Ella Fitzgerald, Andre Crouch, Wayne Shorter, Placido Domingo, Julio Iglesias and Michael Jackson. Alex has recorded film scores under the direction of Dave Grusin, Alan Silvestri, Michel Legrand, Bill Conti, Michel Colombier, Marvin Hamlisch, Maurice Jarre and Mark Isham.

Alex has been member of several bands playing West-Coast music, among them the band Friendship with Lee Ritenour, Ernie Watts and Abraham Laboriel. In 1980, he formed his own group Koinonia with some professional Christian artists, settled in the Los Angeles area. Alex was playing percussion and drums, together with drummer Bill Maxwell, bass-player Abraham Laboriel (Mexico), saxophonist, flutist and woodwind-player Justo Almario (Colombia), keyboard/organ-player Harlan Rodgers and guitarist Hadley Hockensmith, the rest came from Oklahoma.

His experience and production of several South American projects finally released in 1991 with his first solo album Alex Acuña & The Unknowns: Thinking Of You (Pensando En Ti) with friends and guest musicians from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru and Sweden. The music is a mix between pop, rock, jazz colored with strong Latin-influences.

After many years learning his craft, schooling, session work, road work, he felt the Lord calling him to a new level of growth. Through the years 1992-1994 Alex spent less time travelling, more time at home learning to be a better husband to his wife, father to his children and son to his Heavenly Father. In 1995 Alex travelled extensively throughout Europe, Africa, Japan, South and North America, doing clinics, concerts, sessions and music ministry training.

During this time his instructional videos came into being. They came about because of requests from customers to drum companies to see Alex and be able to learn some of his techniques. His first video, Drums And Percussion quickly became sought around the world and soon he was being asked to travel to many countries to do clinics. The three companies that he does the most clinics for are Yamaha, Zildjian and Latin Percussion (LP). He was especially asked for in Japan, Canada and the South American countries. In his clinics it can be thousands of people in the audience, one third of them to se Alex as the Fusion/Jazz-drummer from the years with Weather Report, another third of them to see Alex as the Latin-Jazz percussionist and session drummer and the last third of them to see Alex as the Christian worship leader and drummer. That he still has influence in all three parts is evidence of the Grace that God has placed on his life and the favor that He has blessed him with.

Alex's clinics are unusually varied. They will be held in drum shops, theatres, nightclubs, schools or wherever there's interest expressed. The format changes from one clinic to the next, depending on the audience's interest and how he feels inspired. There is usually no band or side musicians, just Alex and whatever instruments the companies have sent out. He, of course, always takes along one of his own developed King Cajon with him. He will demonstrate not only the techniques used on the many instruments he plays, but also the fact that music can be made on percussion alone. One of his favorite demonstrations is a "cymbal solo". Citing the many references from I Chronicles 13-15 where "The musicians [...] were to sound the bronze cymbals." (15:19-22). Alex will perform an extended improvisation on the cymbals alone.

He has recorded two of his own instructional videos and travels throughout the world teaching and giving seminaries for Yamaha, Latin Percussion (LP) and Zildjian. His South American and Caribbean roots and understanding of contemporary music makes him a skilled and complete musician. This is evidenced in his two instructional videos. In the first one Drums And Percussion, he shares the styles and techniques that have made him well-known all over the world. The second drum-video South American, Caribbean, African and American Jazz shows musical concepts from respective continents, demonstrated for both drums and percussion. There is also a compilation video in Spansih made up of highlights from the first two Bateria y Percusion.