Born in Lima, Peru in 1968 Roberto "Chino" Bolanos immigrated to the Unites States in June of 1981. His musical background came from his grandfather Pepe Bolanos and his brother.
In 1984 Roberto Bolanos started playing with a Peruvian trio called Elegancia Peruana in restaurants and night clubs in New York playing the Peruvian Cajon. In 1986 he joined a Salsa band-playing congas every weekend at a restaurant called Tibiri Tabara in Queens, NY. The musical director pianist and arranger was Lucho Cueto.
Jose Mangual Jr. and Junior Gonzalez used to come and sit in with the band. Also around that time he used to play Cajon with Peruvian singers that promoters would bring from Peru to perform in the USA like: Lucia Dela Cruz, Lucila Campos (one of our best singers of Afro Peruvian music in the world) Pepe Vasquez and many others.
In 1990 Roberto Bolanos was called to accompany Lalo Rodriguez and Paquito Guzman and soon after Nacho Sanabria, Marvin Santiago, Luisito Carrion, Pedro Arroyo, Tito Allen. Tito Gomes, Santiago Ceron, Hector Casanova, Miosotis, Ray Ruiz, Kevin Ceballo, Adalberto Santiago, Miosotis, Miles Pena, Charlie Cardona (grupo niche), Los Titanes de Colombia, Cano Estremera.
Chino performed at the ACE awards for a couple of years and in 2001 went on a international tour with Henry Threadgill performing at the Vinnie Jazz Festival in France, North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland and Verona Jazz festival in Italy. Recently he has played with Orlando Rios Puntilla, in Switzerland conducted by Tania Leon (Cuban composer) and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC conducted by Michael Camilo.
Recordings include local bands and Jose Alberto "El Canario", Alfredo De La Fe's latest CD and currently he’s working on Santiago Ceron's new CD.
As a freelance musician he spends his spare time with his two groups: Kambalache Negro Negro which has appeared on Spanish television shows like El Show de las 12 and Mi Tierra y Mis Costumbres. The other group is a Salsa Band called Son con Timba. Look for solo CDs of Chino in the near future.
