Hartford, Connecticut native Nelson Bello is one of the premier percussionists to emerge from the Capital Region over the past twenty years. Honing his craft Nelson participated in and went on to complete musical training at such prestigious institutions as The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and The Hartford Conservatory.
The music of the “Latin Diaspora” has been in Nelson’s blood since the very beginning. Through close relationships with The Fort Apache Band, Paul Brown and other influential musical figures from both his hometown and points elsewhere, Nelson began to immerse himself in the language of “modern jazz”, which when combined with his deep grasp of Latin rhythms and the culture embedded therein, created a musical vision unlike anything the community at large had s
Although Nelson would consider his “main instrument” to be the conga drums, he is well-versed in all auxiliary percussion instruments, which include, but are not limited to the bongos, timbales, cowbell, guiro, chekere, maracas and many other noted Puerto Rican and African instruments. He also spent time studying the idiosyncrasies of the drum kit while a student at The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.
Over a career that spans twenty years, Nelson has had the privilege of sharing the stage with some of the most iconic musicians from within the world of “Latin music”. At the young age of only fifteen, he had the opportunity to travel to Cuba, to perform in the Havana International Jazz Festival as a member of what at the time was Connecticut’s premier youth “Latin Jazz” ensemble “Latin Flavor”, better known in recent years as “Insight”. This performance also featured Cuban piano giant Chucho Valdez, who was an honored guest of the festival during that particular year.
Nelson’s vast musical knowledge has allowed him to cross paths with such musical icons as Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Tony Vega, Charles Flores, the aforementioned Andy Gonzalez, Curtis Brothers Nelson is the co-founder of “TROMBEATZ”, alongside trombonist Hommy Ramos. “TROMBEATZ” recently released their debut album, “A Caribbean Thing”, in conjunction with Truth Revolution Recording Collective and The Innovative People.