Barbaro Crespo
aka Machito

Barbaro Yordany Crespo Richard aka Machito, born in Havana, Cuba in 1991, is the son of great congas and rumba master Sandalio ‘Macho’ Crespo Calderón.

By the age of just 12, he began to perform with the Cuban folklore group Echu Alaboni. At only 17 years old, Machito signed his first contract with the Compañía De Danzas Tradicionales De Cuba JJ, embracing his talent through traditional Cuban rhythms. When he was 21, he became a part of the great group El Solar de los Seis, where he took his first steps beyond traditional Cuban music, playing jazz, pop and collaborating with many Cuban artists. Over the years, Machito participated in numerous festivals, performed in theatres, television and popular events in Havana.

Desde 2013, Machito ha estado asociado con la agrupación Adonis y Osain del Monte, as its co-founder along with his cousin Adonis Panter Calderón, and a leading percussionist of the group. It is the most popular rumba group in Cuba, which has gained also popularity in the international music scene. The group presents a modern interpretation of native folklore, combined with popular Cuban music. With Adonis y Osain del Monte he recorded so far two albums: ‘Pal Monte’ and ‘Sin Comentarios’.

Between 2017 and 2020, as a member of a formation Trio Peligroso, Machito participated as a percussionist and a co-composer in the afro-jazz French-Cuban music project ¿Que vola?. Su álbum debut fue lanzado en enero de 2019.

Since 2021 he’s a part of Latin jazz trio Ílú que en 2022 ganó el prestigioso concurso Jazz Junior y se presentó en numerosas escenarios de jazz, incluyendo el Festival de Jazz de Montreux 2024.

La carrera musical internacional de Machito comenzó en 2016, y desde entonces ha actuado en varios festivales y eventos reconocidos, entre otros en Estados Unidos (Nueva Orleans y Nueva York), la República Democrática del Congo (Kinshasa), Marruecos, así como en escenarios europeos (Francia, Alemania, Polonia, España, Inglaterra, Finlandia, Suiza, y más).

Desde agosto de 2024, ha sido embajador de la marca Meinl Percussion.

In September 2024, he released the first original single, ‘Me gusta el Guaguancó,’ as part of his project Lo que no pude hacer con mi Papá in a tribute to his late father.

Machito se encuentra actualmente en Europa y está trabajando en nuevos proyectos musicales, colaborando con otros artistas y ofreciendo clases magistrales de percusión.