About Dennis

“I have a passion for helping others shine; It makes me smile!

I am a humble soul honed by fear of God, heritage, earned respect, loving encouragement, and a hard work ethic.

My desire is to be a model musician and composer.  I learn from every experience!  I pursue with sincerity and honest passion for the art.

Music and especially drumming has been a substantial part of my life. My rearing has taken me from rudimental drumming, through classical, rock, and jazz to the intricacies of Latin drumming.  The growth offered me unique experiences that include joy in accomplishment, tribulation and lessons learned from failure, and hope after loss. Belief in God the only creator and the source of any talent I possess is my reason for immersion.   

The steps I’m currently taking to hone my composition skills are in preparation to fuse my Jazz and Latin passions with my immigrant American heritage.  Not unlike most people of this nation. 

My immigrant ancestors passed down heartfelt stories of struggle, suppression, exploitation, and survival.  Stories of these experiences are not typically published in American history or art.  My desire is to tell these stories  much like my ancestors expressed through Spanish folk songs; revealing harsh truths of their struggles.

With humility passed down by my ancestors, I hope to convey these truths through music using my gifts and lessons learned from dissonances.

My admiration, respect, and gratitude extend to all artists and listeners that have and will grace my life.  They have enabled valued growth and maturity.   They are my proof.  As long as there are listeners and God is enabling, I’ll keep creating music!”

Biography

Dennis Bueno was born of Spanish parents from Trinidad, Colorado. Growing up in a military household he relocated frequently.  While living outside of Detroit, Michigan at age five he began to study music on accordion.  Playing for about ten years he received awards for his accomplishments as well as praise and compensation for his performances.

At the age of ten Dennis took an interest in drumming. His training began early while living in New Jersey.  The opportunities for rigorous training began in Drum Corps where he honed much of his rudimental technique soon achieving snare drummer in a DCI World Open award winning drum line under the direction of Jim Hurley. Dennis was active in high school jazz band as well as local progressive rock bands in New Jersey.  Dennis was accepted at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. While there he had the privilege of studying percussion, theory, and arranging with Gary Chaffee, Keith Copland, Bob Wagner, Joe Hunt, Dean Anderson, Greg Hopkins, James Williams, John Laporta, and many other great masters. After Berklee, he auditioned and was accepted as a percussionist into the Air Force  as a member of the NORAD Band and eventually the premiere Air Force Academy Band performing throughout the world with countless renowned artists in varied venues of music.

Dennis has performed with recording artists such as Earl Klugh, Dave Valentin, Jessy J, Dotsero, and Steve Barta. During his enlistment he was assigned to the rock band Blue Steel and country band Wild Blue Country. Dennis has kept busy teaching privately and performing with numerous successful local talents in every type of music genre. He continues as a life practice to study privately with many of the masters.  Such as;  Calixto Oviedo, Jimmy Branly, Mike Shapiro, Duncan Moore,  Mike Holguin, Kim Plainfield, Ray Malabe, Henrique de Almeida, Gary Sosias, Ronnie Shaw, and Charlie Chavez.

Passionately embracing early family tradition of joyous song and dance through his love of Latin music and rhythms. Dennis brings this spirit to every venue he plays. He is a captivating and happy musician. He primarily performs on Drum set, Timbales, Congas, Bongo, and Cajon.

Video

Audio

Photos

Current Projects

Jimmy McConnell Big Band and Quintet.

Inspired by R&B and Count Basie style play.  I am in the drum chair and enjoying driving this band!  I’m learning lots and making new friends.

Los Angeles Mambo All-Star Orchestra (LAMASO).

This 20 piece band is led by Bobby Chavez.  I currently hold down the Timbale chair, but also am used throughout the percussion section including drum kit.  Again, I’m learning a lot and making friends.

Projects of Past

Orquesta Sabroso, originally “Sabroso” since 1995, is an 11 piece ensemble that specializes in Latin Jazz and Salsa. The group has performed throughout the Colorado front range.

Orquesta Sabroso has developed its own musical style by mixing the diverse musical experiences of the members and enthusiastically continues to expand it’s sound through the inspiration of Latin music masters.

Many great musicians have contributed to the success of this band. I’d like to give recognition by listing them by name in no specific order. We continue to evolve, use different musicians, and have new experiences.

The Acoulectric Trio made up of Rico Southee on Guitar, Andy Burtschi on Bass, and Dennis Bueno on drums and percussion.  An acoustic/electric sound that produced Jazz, R&B, Pop, and Blues grooves with a spice of Spanish Flamenco.   I so enjoy working the grooves and the colors required for this trio.  I can use percussion color here.

The Bueno Trio features Sam Pannunzio on piano, Scott Webring on bass, and Dennis Bueno on drums.  An extremely tasteful Jazz trio that pushed the edges of phrases and time over the bar line.    Sam has penned so many beautiful pieces that we had an opportunity to perform while we played together at the Broadmoor Penrose Room between 2009 and 2012.  The only recording of this band is the video that is on this web page.  Sam has a great recording of his Seattle trio on CD Baby.

Bueno Latin Jazz Project

This project started with the weekly meeting of pianist Bruce Pennington and Dennis Bueno collaborating and practicing Afro-Cuban tunes at Dennis’ studio.  After several months were joined by bassist Gary Sanders.  Gary brought years of cruise ship experience with him, but had always wanted to really learn the Afro-Cuban genre more.  What a great way to learn when you have three musicians with the passion to experiment, practice, and learn the intricacies of the genre.  Soon they were joined by trumpet virtuoso, Kyle Gregory, who recently relocated to Colorado Springs from Verona, Italy.

Dennis had also recently met and friended Calixto Oviedo who lived briefly in Arvada, Colorado with his wife Lily Hernandez.  Dennis decided to study with him and found he would be interested in playing with the group along with his wife.  Lily is an exceptional Cuban style vocalist (known as a Sonera in Latin music circles).

The group was rounded out with the additional lead trumpet expertise of Marcel Marchetti.  Marcel has retired from the Air Force Band of the Rockies where he led the Falconaires Jazz band.  Prior to joining the Air Force he worked with many of the Latin bands in the Miami area eventually landing a long term gig with The Miami Sound Machine featuring Gloria Estefan.

Then finally, Dennis is blessed with the percussion passions of his son.

Dennis Bueno has maintained a passion in Afro-Cuban music and nurtures performing with professionals in the most recent Bueno Latin Jazz Project.  The group is made up of musicians that have a passion for the music.

Performances have been graced with the addition of Cuban master percussionist, CALIXTO OVIEDO.  Calixto was a member of Cuba’s popular band NG La Banda.  During his 38 years as a professional musician, he has had the opportunity to work and perform with well known musicians, such as: Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Paquito D’Rivera, David Sanchez, Danilo Pérez, Arturo Sandoval, Luis Conte, Ray Barreto, Chucho Valdés, Giovanni Hidalgo, Willie Colón, Alfredo Rodriguez, Dave Valentin, Juan Pablo Torres, Emiliano Salvador, Chico Freeman, Orlando “Maraca” Valle, Tony Martinez, Tata Güines, José Luis “Changuito” Quintana, Miguel “Angá” Diaz, among others.

Rounding out the band vocally was the beautiful and talented Cuban sonera, Lily Hernandez.  Lily and Calixto currently work together in “Lily Hernandez y Su Sonora Clasica” in Los Angeles, California.

Biographies:

GARY SANDERS studied with acclaimed bassist Richard Davis, and with Lew Norton of the New York Philharmonic.

He has worked with jazz greats Houston Person, Stanley Cowell and Jon Hendricks, Gary’s Broadway and off-Broadway credits include Little Shop of Horrors, The Road to Hollywood, Radio City Music Hall, and The Buddy Holly Story.

Gary played several seasons in the once-famous “Borscht Belt” of the Catskill mountains that gave him the privilege of working with entertainers including Joel Grey, Clint Holmes, Bruce Adler, The 5th Dimension, Neil Sedaka, and many others.

Bassist and musical Director for major cruise ships, among them the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.  Appeared at the Groton (CT) Jazz Festival, the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival (Mexico), and the prestigious Appolonia Festival in Sozopol, Bulgaria.
KYLE GREGORY was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in Bloomington. He currently lives between Verona, Italy and Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he is involved leading the international arts movement, Via Affirmativa.

He studied at Berklee College of Music, Indiana University, and the University of Northern Colorado, completing his doctorate in 1995. In 1992 he received the prestigious Fulbright Grant for a year of pedagogical research into new methods of teaching improvisation in Hungary. From 1992 to 1997 Kyle was a professor of classical trumpet and jazz at Bradley University in Illinois and taught most recently as professor of jazz trumpet at the Trento Conservatory in northern Italy.
Currently Kyle travels throughout the USA, Italy, Europe, and the rest of the world as a solo artist and educator, having performed and taught in the United States, Italy, Canada, Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, England, Spain, Romania, Germany, the Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. He plays regularly in various formations, including the Lydian Sound Orchestra, the Peo Alfonsi Quartet, the Robert Bonisolo Quartet, and his own groups–World Downside Up, and Tongues of Fire.  In past years he performed with numerous internationally-known jazz and commercial artists, including Paul Motian, Bob Mintzer, JJ Johnson, Dianne Reeves, Liza Minelli, The Temptations, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Mingus Dynasty.

Kyle has recorded over 40 albums with various artists and independent labels, including most recently EGEA, El Gallo Rojo, and Almar Records. WORLD DOWNSIDE UP, a suite of original compositions inspired by the Beatitudes, was recorded together with Paolo Birro, Salvatore Maiore, Roberto Dani, and Aya Shimura. In the Spring of 2013 his new project, TONGUES OF FIRE, was released, featuring Robert Bonisolo, Rossano Emili, Mauro Beggio, Giulio Corini, Anke Helfrich, and Gavin Palmer.  Kyle is currently involved launching a new house concert movement, called The School for Inner Wealth.
SETH BUENO, born and raised in Colorado Springs, CO. Influenced by his father Dennis Bueno, Seth was introduced to many genres of music early on in life. He picked up percussion following his father’s footsteps, and has played in many different settings, from Christian new age pop, to heavy metal and blues. Seth decided to go into the Marines in 2002 and enjoyed his tour very much but was declared  disabled in 2007.  Seth and his family moved back to Colorado in 2007.  Seth has been enjoying the music scene again in Colorado Springs since.  Seth has experienced playing many types of percussion, however has a very deep love for Afro-Cuban percussion.

MARCEL MARCHETTI, Born in 1966 in Antioch , California, Marcel grew up in Tokyo Japan where he started on Violin before switching to trumpet at the age of 6 years old. Although a difficult instrument to play, Marcel took to the trumpet quickly. “I found I had natural ability for playing the trumpet in the upper register at an early age.” He credits his father and first trumpet teacher (a music teacher) for molding his natural abilities into practical working skills.

In 1988, Marcel landed the lead trumpet position with the Clouds of Miami Latin Pop Band. This quickly opened doors for him which lead him to his touring career that started with Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. His diverse musical abiltiy to play screaming high trumpet parts and instantly turn around and play pretty melodic solos gave him the reputation of an all around player who can do it all. This lead him to move on to tour with such notables as The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Tony Bennett and Wynonna Judd to name just a few.

As a sideman, Marcel’s list of CD credits reads like a who’s who in Latin jazz and pop, running the stylistic gamut from Willie Charino, Exito, El Gran Combo to Celine Dion and Faith Hill. Other stellar names include Take 6, Amy Grant and Vince Gill , Sandi Patty, BeBe and CCeCe Winans, Crystal Gayle and America.

Marcel has worked on jingle sessions such as Ford, Eckerds Drugs, Coors and PGA Golf Tournaments .

Marcel’s passion for Latin and Pop bands has led to his inclusion in some of Colorado’s most well respected bands.

BRUCE PENNINGTON, from New Orleans, Louisiana.  Served 20+ years in United States Air Force as a bandsman.  Pianist and arranger for the Falconaires.

Instruction and Booking

Dennis is available to coach or teach private lessons, drum circles, group lessons, and clinics.  You can schedule for advanced private instruction on trap set, congas, bongo, cajon, and many other percussion instruments.  Also available to teach music theory and rhythmic concepts at all levels.

For any booking please respond using the “Feedback” tab on the right.

Requests for private instruction can be made by selecting the “Feedback” tab on the right of this web page.

Good Words From Friends

“Dennis is a drummer’s drummer. Musical, intelligent and melodic. He’s “First Call” for me.”

Steve Barta
Pianist / Recording Artist

“…you truly are a special percussionist and drummer to the Colorado jazz/latin music scene…”

Al Eberhardt (Former Director of Colorado All-State jazz bands)
Artist-in-Residence
Dept. of Music
CSU-Pueblo

“As a clinician and a guest artist in the public schools, Dennis Bueno offers a fun, engaging and interactive experience for students of all ages, no matter the level of their academic or physical ability. His presentation incorporates genuine rhythms and techniques, academic vocabulary, artistic philosophy and a creative performance experience that is appropriate for EVERY student in a school.

Lyman P. Bushkovski
Director of Instrumental Music
Pueblo Academy of Arts
Pueblo City Schools (District 60)”

“Dennis ~ Pleasure was all mine. Always fun listening to other drummers. BTW … You are an awesome Jazz drummer “My Friend”…”

Gary G. Smith
(Former Air Force Tops In Blue Drummer)