Yamil Conga- the name says it all. From his unique approach to playing congas that reminds you of a band playing in a back alley in Old San Juan, to being one ofthe first known Puerto Rican playing country music in Nashville, Tennessee, Yamil Conga is a true trailblazer on the music scene. A native of Puerto Rico and a current resident of Nashville, Yamil has benefitted from a vast array of musical influences. Salsa runs in Yamil’s blood due to his father, singer songwriter, Eladio Jimenez, who wrote and produced for several Latin giants, like Pete El Conde, Willie Colon and the legendary Fania All Stars. Yamil was shaped into the extremely versatile drummer and percussionist he is today by listening to and learning from the salsa greats like La Fania All Stars, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente, and Roberto Roena, along with Gospel bands like Dc Talk, Carman, and Commissioned 7, and acquiring essential drumming fundamentals from jazz instructor Nick Forte, at the Neighborhood school of music and the Education Center for the arts. Yamil Conga toured for six years with the Centricity Music band, Unspoken, and is now the conguero for the Nashville Salsa Machine, Roland Barber, Souvenir, Lalo Davila and Friends, and jazz pianist Tyron Hamilton. Percussionist for The Mr.Moons Band, drummer for worship leader Tod Gnovsky, and thebackup drummer for the country band Reckless He is also the musical director and band leader for singer songwriter Alison Brazil. Yamil Conga continues to follow in the footsteps of his father by bringing a dynamic musical flare to Music City USA, but it is Yamil’s out-of-the-box, emotional, and heartfelt approach to drumming that is contagious. To Yamil, drumming is life line; like our heartbeats—distinct, personal, and constant, yet universal, communal, and forever evolving