…Percussionist Extraordinaire
Joey DeLeon Jr. is a dynamic percussionist whose artistry bridges the worlds of Latin jazz, salsa, and contemporary jazz performance.He joins the Lao Tizer Band for their performance on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival in High Point, NC.
A classically trained musician with deep roots in the traditions of Afro-Cuban percussion, DeLeon earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Percussion Performance from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, while also developing the rhythmic instincts and street-level authenticity that define his playing.
For the past five years, DeLeon has been a key member of Grammy Award-winning percussionist and bandleader Poncho Sanchez’s band, first holding the bongo chair before expanding his role as timbalero and drummer. He contributed to Sanchez’s acclaimed collaboration with Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard, a powerful tribute to Afro-Cuban jazz pioneers Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie, whose groundbreaking work helped create the “Cubop” movement.
