Latin Percussion founder Martin Cohen turned 75 on January 28. He will celebrate it with a live streaming event on Youtube with some of the best musicians in the scene. No doubt this will be a spectacular event, and you can watch it live on Youtube/Martincongahead on Feb. 1st at 9PM EST. The company that started in the Cohen garage now has a staff of research, design and product developers that keep an ongoing stream of new products coming. Over 250 people are employed at the manufacturing facility in Thailand.
From the beginning, LP has let those who play their instruments do most of the talking. The company's first endorser was Afro-Cuban and jazz drummer Willie Bobo. Today, LP has over 500 endorsers worldwide, a list which reads as a veritable "who's who" in the music world. Musicians like Karl Perazzo, Raul Rekow, Giovanni Hidalgo, Armando Peraza, Travis Barker, Chris Pennie, Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine and many more all use LP instruments.
Cohen's commitment from the beginning has been combining authenticity of sound with strong modern design. Today professional musicians and people play Latin Percussion instruments from all walks of life. Cohen himself still travels to clubs around the world, taking photographs and talking to musicians, gathering feedback from those who use LP instruments.
In October 2002, KMC Music, the world’s largest independent distributor of musical instruments and accessories, purchased Latin Percussion.
