Produced by the Cuban Recording and Musical Editions Company EGREM, the album ‘Italuba XV: Se me perdió la maleta,’ celebrates the joint work of Cuban musicians El Negro, pianist Iván Bridón, trumpet player Amik Guerra and bassist Dany Noel in Italy over 15 years.

The album comprises eleven tunes, all of them celebrating Cuba’s contribution to Latin Jazz. The title track 'Se me perdió la maleta’ makes fun of a common experience of Cuban musicians, constantly losing their luggage and musical instruments at airports around the world.

El Negro first gained international recognition as the drummer for pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and his group Proyecto. During that time, he toured extensively around the world, and especially in the United States, playing rock, pop and jazz.

As a percussionist, he has collaborated with several Grammy-winning albums by Cuban and foreign musicians, including the work Havana, by trumpet player Roy Hargrove (1997); Supernatural, by guitarist Carlos Santana (1999); No es lo mismo, by Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz (2003) and Listen Here, by pianist Eddie Palmieri (2005).

The renowned Cuban drummer and percussionist owns a Grammy award for the 2001 Latin Jazz Album Live at the Blue Note, with pianist Michel Camilo and bassist Charlie Flores.