Artist Bio

(Bio as of December 2015)

Javier Saume Mazzei is a native of Caracas, Venezuela and began playing percussion at the age of eight. He holds a BA in music from the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He has performed with Rhonda Richmond, Reginald Veal, Herlin Riley, Cassandra Wilson, Badi Assad and the symphony orchestra Sistema de Orquestas Juveniles de Venezuela. He has performed internationally in concerts, master classes and residencies in Beijing, China; the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and with Sones de Mexico Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He has also recorded with the Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-nominated Sones de Mexico Ensemble. He plays as a guest musician in the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre, a Northeastern Illinois University associate institution, and teaches percussion at People’s Music School.