Giraldo Piloto Barreto

The Heir of two Families.

Born in 1962 into a family of musicians. His father Giraldo Piloto was an outstanding composer and  became known with the binomial Piloto and Vera; his mother Josefina Barreto was a piano teacher and his uncles played in the main orchestras of the country.

He entered the Alejandro García Caturla Conservatory with 8 years and graduated from the National School of Art in the specialty of Percussion at 1980 with just 18 years old.

1980-1987 Tropicana Cabaret Orchestra of Havana Cuba.

1988-1992 Founder of the orchestra NG la Banda.

1992- 1994 Director of the Issac Delgado’s Orchestra.

1995 He creates his own band until today, Klimax, an orchestra that defines his work in two aspects: Latin jazz or Cuban-jazz and popular dance music.

Composer, arranger, musician, and music producer.

He has participated in musical projects with Chucho Valdés, Herbie Hancock (during his visit to the Havana Jazz Festival with Tata Guines and Changuito), with Michel Legrand and Chucho Valdés, and in several concerts in Havana, Europe, and South America in 2005.

His productions have won several awards throughout his career, which includes the album “Con Ganas” by Issac Delgado, in addition to those of his projects: Klimax & Friends “Cubadisco Award” in 2004, as well as the productions “Nadie se parece a ti”, “Solo tu y yo” in 2006 and 2008 respectively, and the Award for Best Popular Dance Music Album in 2017 with “Mis 21 Años”.

In the albums in which he has participated as drumnist, composer, director, arranger, and producer have received national and international awards, such as Cubadisco, EGREM, O’Zona de Madrid, Timba.com from USA, among many others.

He has taught Percussion Master Classes in various countries, including Canada, at the Montreal Drum Fest, KoSA Academy, University of Montreal, at Lula Lounge in Toronto, in Belgium, France, Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Norway and many more.

PRODUCTIONS WITH KLÍMAX

Mira si te gusta                       (1996)

Juego de Manos                      (1997)

Oye como va                          (2000)

Klímax and friends                (2002)

Nadie se parece a ti                (2004)

Klímax, 10 años                     (2006) DVD

Solo tú y yo                            (2008)

Todo está bien                         (2012)

Mis 21 Años.                          (2016)

Mucho                                    (2021)

Various collaborations:

AUNQUE SOY COMO SOY                       Ray Sepúlveda                      1992

UN CENTÍMETRO DE TI                           Willie Rosario                       1993

AUNQUE SOY COMO SOY                       Issac Delgado                        1993

UN CENTIMETRO DE TI

ENTREGATE AMI

ELLA ES UN RELOJ

TE CONFUNDE SER ESA MUJER            NG LA BANDA                    1993

FIEBRE DE AMOR                                      Charanga Habanera            1993

FIEBRE DE AMOR                                    Charanga Habanera             1994

MI ESTRELLA

PELIRROJA

PROFESOR DE DÉCIMO GRADO           Cano Estremera                     1994

TE REPETISTE                                         José Alberto “El Canario”     1994

TE REPETISTE               El chévere de la salsa y el caballero del son    1994

CONFUSION DE AMOR

AY DIOS MIO, CONVIERTEME EN UN MAGO

LLEGAR A TI                                              NG LA BANDA                    1997

TE CONFUNDE SER ESA MUJER

LO QUE ME FALTÓ POR HACERTE       Isidro Infante                        1998

SI MI CAMA ESTÁ VACÍA                          Guaco                                  1999

JUEGO DE MANOS                                   Fuerza Juvenil                       2000

UNA CORAZONADA

CLASES PARA TODOS                             JB y su Trabuco                    2001

POR QUÉ                                                     Kassu Halonen                      2002

DAME UNA EXCUSA

HERMANO

ESTA NOCHE

HAVANA SPIRITU

NIEBLA AZUL

NO QUIERO NADA MAS

POR ESTA VEZ

TE QUIERO

ESCUCHA A MI CORAZÓN

SENTIMIENTO

COMO SOY

TRISTEZA EN TUS OJOS

NO ME MIRES A LOS OJOS                Gilberto Santa Rosa                  2004

QUE PIESAS DE LA VIDA                   Tania Pantoja                             2007

LA TENTACIÓN                                Guaco.  Luis Fernando Borjas     2008

LA POLICÍA SOY YO                                 Vania Borges                        2012

PARTIDO DE FÚTBOL                  Ricardo Álvarez y Cubanísimo       2012

CANTO A LA MÚSICA CUBANA

HERENCIA YORUBA

MARKETING

MUELA PROFESIONAL

SOUNDS OF 3                                           Per Mathisen                           2016

LA MUJER PIROPO                       Alexander Abreu y HDP                  2018

ME ENAMORO EN LA HABANA         Yuko Fong                               2019

FIEBRE DE AMOR                        Alexander Abreu y HDP                   2021

Among others.

Klimax has participated in several of the main jazz and World Music festivals held in Europe and America, including:

Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Nice Jazz Festival (France), Vienne Jazz Festival (France), Pori Jazz Festival (Finland), Blues Fest (Ottawa), La Mar de Músicas (Spain), Pirineos Sur International Festival of Cultures (Spain), The Cannes Festival (France), Latinoamericando (Italy), Arezzo Wave Festival (Italy), Roskilde Festival (Denmark), Horsens Festival (Denmark), Womex Festival (Switzerland), Wow Festival (England), Barbican Centre Festival (England), Salsa al Parque Festival (Colombia), Garanhus Winter Festival (Brasil), etc.

Giraldo Piloto is the President of the Fiesta del Tambor Festival or Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival since 2000; promoting Cubanness, tradition and contemporaneity of national and international percussion in our country and inviting and sharing with figures such as: Antonio Sanchez (Mexico-USA), Jojo Mayer (USA), Dom Famularo (USA), Joao Donato (USA), Nanny Assis (Brazil), Janis Siegel (USA), Ketama (Spain), Falete (Spain), Aldo Mazza (Canada), Memo Acevedo (USA-Colombia), Mike del Ferro (Holland), Alex Acuña (USA-Mexico), Charlie Cooley (USA), Chuck Silverman (USA), Per Mathisen (Norway), Jan Gunnar (Norway), Hans Mathisen (Norway) Walfredo de las Reyes Sr (USA), and Wally de los Reyes (USA), Mark Guiliana (USA), Will Calhoum (USA), Dafnis Prieto (USA-Cuba), among many percussionists,  instrumentalists and performers from dissimilar latitudes, along with those from Cuba, who join in each edition to orchestras, folk groups, jazz players and the best dance companies in the country.

During this event I also promote an International Cuban Percussion Competition totally open to all those interested, in which basically the new values that stand out every year in percussion in general are announced, incorporating Master Classes of Dance and Music, as well as Rumba and Casino Dance Competitions.