Independent
About
Setup
Cymbals listed from left to right
14" Signature Dark Energy Hats Mark I
16" Signature Dark Energy Crash Mark I
8" Signature Reflector Splash
(discontinued)
22" Signature Dark Energy Ride Mark II
18" Signature Dark Energy Crash Mark I
18" Signature Thin China
14" Sound Formula Crystal Crash
(Discontinued)
Videos & Pics
Biography
Born and raised in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Jose has been performing on percussion instruments since he was five years old. At age 11, he started formal music lessons with Professor Jose "Tito” Rivera at the Escuela Libre De Música de Humacao. At 12 years of age, Jose started performing with Humacao Symphonic Band under the direction of Professor German Peña Plaza. With the Humacao Symphonic Band, Jose traveled to New York, Costa Rica, Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic and many other Latin American countries. At age 14, Jose received formal percussion lessons from Professor Jose "Pepe" Torres at the Escuela Libre de Música de Caguas. Under Torres direction, Jose performed with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Puerto Rico State Band and also with a variety of local bands. By the age of 17, Jose was accepted into the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music where he studied percussion with Professor Jose Alicea. Under Alicea's direction, Jose played for the America youth symphony orchestra based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1994, Jose moved to the United States. Through the course of his life, Jose has had the opportunity to perform along renown artists such as Grammy Award winning Arturo Sandoval, Tito Puente, Marcos Barrientos, Meñique, Rico Monaco, Eve Evans, Gregg Bissonette, Giovanni Hidalgo, Gypsy Kings, Gerson Kelly, Martin Valverde, Nestor Torres, Danilo Montero, Bobby Cruz, Jose "Papo" Rivera, Charlene Stewart, Marconi, Made, “Steel Pan Virtuoso” Liam Teague, Joe Lovano, and many others. He had also performed at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom “Tarzan Rocks”, and “The Village Beatniks” shows, at the Universal Studios Florida “The I Love Lucy tribute show!” and many others. Jose currently between the United States and Cartago, Costa Rica where he performs, produces opening acts with his band Jose Rosa and Friends for artists such as Franco De Vita, does recordings and also teaches and prepares new upcoming artists on his Percussion Studio “Jose Rosa Percussion Studio”. In 2015, Jose Rosa was exalted to the Puerto Rico Music Hall of Fame for his contribution to the music in Puerto Rico. He also leads his own percussion group called “Insolencia Rumbera”, his band "Jose Rosa and Friends" with whom he had recorded several albums and his latest World Music Jazz Band “Merak”. In addition, he can also be heard and seen in many radio ads and TV programs like syndicated PBS program “Jazz Then and Now” and also on the Travel channel in the program "The making of Disney's Animal Kingdom". He has also written several instructional books some of the titles are: Award-winning: "Beyond The Secret Hand / Mas Allá de la Mano Secreta", “Modern Tumbadoras: How to play congas” Vol. 1 and “Advance Latin Drumming Independence”, "New World Music History" and "The Art of Latin Drumming" published and distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation, the latter nominated for the 2013 Modern Drummer Readers Poll. His latest Instructional Books and Videos: “The Contemporary Hand Drummer” (Video), “Advance Coordination for the Tumbadoras”, "Timbales, the history of the instrument that became the heartbeat of Latin Music" and “Extreme and Killer Coordination for the 21st Century Drummer" which will be published by Jose Rosa Music Publishing and distributed by Lulu Press. Jose endorses Pearl Drums and Percussion, Paiste Cymbals, Remo Drum Heads, Pro-Mark Drum Sticks and Mallets, Purecussion Percussion, Cymbag, Pintech Electronics and Cympad.
Setup Cymbals
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Details
Sizes: 20", 21", 22"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Medium
Sound character: A fusion of darkness, energy, projection and brilliance. Very wide range, complex, musical mix. Responsive feel, extremely controllable. Woody, silvery, spanky ping over crunchy, thriving wash. Extremely versatile, flexible ride for wide ranging application in modern blended music styles. Mark II: Tends to be a bit livelier and brighter. This manifests itself in the overall sound character and in particular in the bell and ping sound. Mark II also has a bit more volume potential due to its more open character.
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Details
Sizes: 16", 17", 18", 19"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Light
Sound character: Dark body, full frequency spectrum, brilliant highs. Very wide range, complex, pleasing musical mix. Immediate, sensitive response, strong attack, controllable spread, even, layered fade. This crash combines silky, soft qualities with energy and projection for an incredibly versatile application range. Also extremely well suited as suspended cymbals and for mallet rolls.
- Sounds
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Details
Sizes: 14", 15"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Medium
Sound character: Full, rich, energetic with a definite dark side. Crunchy, with a meaty bite. Very wide range, very complex mix. Extremely balanced, very responsive feel. Full dark, rich, shimmering, biting open/closed sound. Beautiful, fat, meaty, crisp, cutting chick sound. Fast, responsive, articulate with excellent feel and playability. An immensely versatile hi-hat that combines finesse and articulation with raw energy and cutting power.
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