Sergio Martinez was born in Madrid, Spain, he grew up in a very musical family and started playing percussion at age 15, studied with Paco de Lucia’s percussionist Rubem Dantas, and afrolatin percussion with Rogerio da Souza and Luisito Dulzaides. He added courses in Hindu percussion with Ramesh Sotham studied percussion and drumset in el Taller de Musicos becoming part of the Latin Jazz Big Band conducted by Cuban guitarist Kotan. He studied classical percussion at the Federico Moreno Torroba Conservatory in Madrid.
Sergio developed an interest in Flamenco music and started his professional career at age 19 accompanying top Flamenco artist touring and playing in some of the most important theatres: Paris Opera, Sydney Opera House or Teatro de Real Madrid to name a few.Combining a Flamenco Music dedication with learning other styles, Sergio became a very versatile percussionist who developed his voice as a side man for lots of bands, as a studio recording musician and as a leader of different bands and projects.During this process Sergio has recorded and played for artists like Enrique Morente, Jose Merce, Diego el CIgala, Jorge Pardo, Jorge Drexler among many others, accompanying also some of the most important Flamenco dancers like Joaquin Cortes, Antonio Canales and composed music for the National Ballet of Spain.
At age 32 he won a Full Scholarship for Berklee College of Music in 2010 where he began studies at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, whose artistic director is the celebrated Panamanian jazz pianist and composer Danilo Perez. He developed a very interesting sound as a member of the Grammy awarded drummer Terri Lyne Carrington band and by collaborating with his mentors at the program such as Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Jhon Patitucci, Danilo Perez, Ben Street, George Garzone, Terri Lyne Carrington or Jamey Haddad. Sergio studied drum set with Ralph Peterson, Terri Lyne Carrington, Eric Harland, Ferenc Nemeth and Casey Scheuerell.
Sergio’s knowledge in Flamenco tradition has taken him to record and collaborate with singers like Paul Simon, working for producers like Phil Ramone, in the last Paul Simon Production 2013.Sergio was nominated in 2013 for a Grammy for the recording and coproducing of Jose Merce’s “La ultima llave” with international producer Javier Limon.Martínez won a Full Scholarship for Berklee College of Music in Valencia where he studies Masters in Contemporary Performace. He is the assistant to the director of the Global Jazz Institute at the Valencia Berklee Campus .Sergio is also an assistant for the Berklee Global Initiatives department and he is part of the educational itinerant program “Berklee on the road” where he is developing a very interesting educational labor.
