DRUMMER CAFE

today would have to be giovanni hidalgo at the top: young and energetic. i saw him perform last year. amazing. intimidating, too.
also, pancho sanchez and luis conte and all the unknown dudes i see perform here in miami all the time with various bands. so much talent...

past:
mongo santamaria
amando peraza
patato valdez
chano pozo
candido

i know raul rekow as santana's longtime perc and he would rank pretty highly, just by virtue of having been heard by so many.

i would rank jose chepito areas higher, however. he was one of two original santana percs, and was probably responsible for bringing latin percussion to the ears of more mainstream pop fans than anyone ever. i saw him perform recently with greg rollie, who was santana's cofounder, and later cofounder of journey. he still brings it....

Just too many to name, I could name 20 amazing performers in NYC alone, a lot of them won't be know to many who are not Salsa or Latin Jazz fans, I could do the same for Puerto Rico, etc.