Degnis Bofill

Degnis Bofill is a Cuban percussionist, vocalist, and composer based in Havana. Degnis is a tremendous player, well versed in an array of Latin percussion instruments and connoisseur of Cuban’s unique rhythmic tradition. A vastly experienced performer, he has toured the world, performing alongside Arturo O’Farrill, Orlando Valle “Maraca”, Néstor Torres, Bobby Carcassés, Dave Weckl, Blondie and Roberto Fonseca. Degnis’ directs his own ensemble, Golpes Libres (Free Hits), mixing Afro-Cuban traditional music and modern jazz, combining intricate textures, improvisation, and elaborate harmonic work. Moreover, Degnis is a music educator, and offers workshops for children from low-income families in different neighborhoods of Havana. He is currently working on developing an arts festival in his hometown of Manzanillo, eastern Cuba, with the goal of enabling interaction between avant-garde art and the local community, and multi-disciplinary activities focused on preserving local traditions in music, dance, visual arts, etc. Degnis is part of the band Síntesis, which recently won a Latin Grammy for their album Ancestros Sinfónico in the category of Best Folk Album.