Enrique Plá García, Cuban percussionist, was born in Santa Clara, Las Villas, on May 22, 1949. He is considered one of Cuba’s most important jazz drummers and is recognized around the world.

Together with Blas Egües, José Luis Quintana (Changuito), and Emilio del Monte, he has created a new path for drummers in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Latin rhythms, and in particular, Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz.

He began his musical studies at the Provincial Conservatory of Music of Santa Clara, 1962-1963, with Agustín Jiménez Crespo and José Ramón Urbay; later he moved to the National School of Art ( ), with Fausto García Rivera, Domingo Aragú and Vésela Sacheva, percussion; Aida Teseiro and Elvira Fuentes, solfeggio; José Bidot and Federico Smith, theoretical subjects, 1964-1966, and concluded them at the Ignacio Cervantes School of Professional Development, with Fausto García, Rafael Lay Apesteguía and Ángela Robert, 1971-1974, and later with Enrique Lasaga, Daniel Díaz, Justo Pelladito and José Eladio Amat, Guillermo Barreto Brown and Oscar Valdés Campos.

In Santa Clara he joined the groups Los Fantasmas, 1962; Los Praga and the Santa Clara Municipal Band, 1962-1963; the Carnaval Cabaret Orchestra, 1964; Renté Group, University of Havana (San Lázaro Street and L, Vedado. Revolution Square, Havana City), 1966; Sonorama 6, 1966-1967, with Martín Rojas, Eduardo Ramos, Rembert Egües, José Luis Quintana (Changuito); Cuban Modern Music Orchestra (founder, 1967-1971), conducted by Armando Romeu González, and composed of, among others, Chucho Valdés, Leonardo Timor, Luis Escalante, Carlos Emilio Morales, Orlando López (Cachaíto), Antonio Linares, Leopoldo Escalante (Pucho); Cuban Jazz Quintet, 1968; National Symphony Orchestra, 1968-1971.

Enrique Plá has performed as an accompanist with Leo Brouwer, Frank Fernández, Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Emiliano Salvador, Arístides Soto (Tata Güines), Bobby Carcassés, Miguel Aurelio Díaz (Angá), José Luis Quintana (Changuito), Richard and Rembert Egües, José María Vitier, Sergio Vitier, Joaquín Betancourt, Ernán López-Nussa, Alfredo Muñoz, Michel Legrand, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington, Jr.; Rubén Blades, Willie Colón, Oscar D’León, Ray Barretto.

He joined the group Irakere, led by composer and pianist Chucho Valdés, in 1974. He has performed with Herbie Hanckok, Chick Corea, Yellow Ja, Dizzy Gillespie, Ronnie Scott, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Maynard Ferguson, Gerry Mulligan, Louis Bellson, Max Roach, and the groups of Wynton Marsalis and Branford Marsalis.

With Irakere he won a Grammy and a Silver Record from the EGREM (Latin category) in 1979; a Grammy nomination in 1980; the Congo de Oro (Golden Congo) in Colombia in 1995; and a Grammy nomination in 1998. With the same group, he has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York; the Hollywood Bowl in the United States; Nice and Antibes in France; Montreaux in Switzerland; North Sea in the Netherlands; Glasgow in Scotland; Bremen in England; Moden in Norway; Copenhagen in Sweden; Newport Jazz in Tokyo in Japan; San Sebastian in Rome; Cagliare in Perugia and Umbria Jazz in Perugia.

During his artistic career, he has been directed by Agustín Jiménez Crespo, Augusto Suero, Rubén Urribarres, Armando Romeu, Rafael Somavilla, Tony Taño, Félix Guerrero, Leo Brouwer, Manuel Duchesne Cuzán, Adolfo Guzmán, Roberto Valdés Arnau, José Ramón Urbay, Guido López-Gavilán, Frank Fernández, Adolfo Pichardo, Miguel Patterson and Rey Montesinos.

He is a member of PERCUBA, a Sabian Cymbal Endorser from Canada; a Pearl Drum Endorser from Japan; and a Latin Percussion Endorser from the United States.

Enrique Plá has worked as a professor at the Ignacio Cervantes School of Professional Development, the National School of Art ( ) and the Higher Institute of Art (Calle 120 No. 1110 e/ 9na y 13. Cubanacán. Playa. Havana City), and has worked as a teacher in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Switzerland and England.