José Lugo is a Puerto Rican pianist, arranger, and producer whose Grammy-winning work includes collaborations with salsa superstars such as Gilberto Santa Rosa as well as solo albums such as Guasábara. Influenced by legendary salsa bandleaders Bobby Valentín and Willie Rosario, Lugo won numerous Grammys for his work on albums such as Grupo Manía's Latino and Santa Rosa's Directo al Corazón. Lugo made his solo album debut in 2004 with the Latin jazz effort Piano con Mata. In 2008 he returned with Guasábara, billed to the José Lugo Orchestra. ~ Jason Birchmeier