JOEL PENA
Joel Pena was born in Regla, Habana, Cuba. He began studying guitar privately at age 10, and entered the Conservatory of Music Guillermo Tomas in Guanabacoa, Cuba at age 14. He began studying the tres at age 18 and progressed quickly, landing a job with the band "Bambason" in Regla.
Soon thereafter, Pena began playing tres in earnest as part of the Beny More publishing house. He traveled throughout Cuba, playing in resorts and hotels with such bands as "Soneando" and The Patterson Sisters.
Pena came to the U.S. in 1996, and in 1999 he met bassist Edgar Hernandez in Los Angeles, where he joined Hernandez's band, "Charanga Cubana," recording two CDs with the group. Pena also appears with Joan Baez and Jackson Browne on the 2000 recording, The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol. 2. In addition to playing regularly as a sideman with such bands as "Charanga Cubana," "Sony Clave," "Odara," and "Maggie Palomo y el Son de Los Angeles," Joel Pena maintains a busy schedule as a teacher and author.