//​ Héctor L. Falu Guzmán is an up-and-coming drummer, composer, and aspiring cultural worker based in Boston, MA and Puerto Rico. Born in San Juan and raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he’s currently in his senior year at Berklee College of Music.

// Having been raised in Puerto Rico, he was exposed to many different types of music at an early age. Salsa, Bolero, Reggaeton, Bachata, Música Criolla, Bomba and Plena could be heard playing all around his community. However, between his parents and church, Héctor primarily grew up on Gospel/Worship Music from groups like Commissioned, Men of Standard, Marcos Witt, and Marcela Gándara. As such, his musicianship and musical creations all possess a particular set of “spices” to its identity, regardless of what style he’s creating music in.
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// At the age of 6, he attended a Baptist Church music academy in Carolina, where he studied drums for 6 years. Later on, Héctor attended the well-known music middle/high-school called, “Escuela Libre de Música” in San Juan; where he was taught by a plethora of dedicated music professors. Soon enough, he was introduced to the music of the 1920’s and onward of the United States known as “Jazz”, and has since been deeply moved and inspired by the music of Black Americans during the Harlem Renaissance.

// During his time at Berklee, Héctor’s musical taste and bandwidth-alongside his compositional and percussive skills-has increased through lectures from artists like: Francisco Mela, Billy Kilson, Brian Landrus, Francesca Tanksley, Alain Mallet, and Yoron Israel. Additionally, through cultural connections, Héctor has had the opportunity to converse and learn from Puerto Rican professionals based in Boston and New York like Edmar Colón, Jonathan Suazo, and Miguel Zenón. 

// Currently inspired by a plethora of forward-thinking artists like Joel Ross, Walter Smith III, Brian Blade, Gregory Tardy, Immanuel Wilkins, and Jonathan Barber, Héctor’s compositional and musical interpretation has been developing new formats on how to approach Puerto Rican culture, faith, social work, and art reflective of the current societal struggles found in minority groups.

// Héctor’s drumming, while playful and adventurous, has an unequivocal sound that stitches things together, as well as pushes the limits of the genres it’s found in. Known for his tendencies to mix his Puerto Rican culture with other genres of music, you’ll always find something that ties his nationality to himself. As such, Héctor uses his platforms to further educate the continental US population about civic problems the people of Puerto Rico live through day-to-day, as well as promote an empathetic route to dealing with oppression. Additionally, Hector’s love for the arts of the Americas has been leading him to conduct research on the history and socio-cultural backgrounds of Jazz, Gospel and Afro-Latin-Caribbean music.

// Héctor has performed in the U.S, Canada, the Lesser Antilles, and Europe area with: Gregory Tardy, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Tom Scott, Domas Žeromskas, Jonathan Suazo, Ned Rosenblatt's Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Julio César Sanabria, Mikayla Shirley, Ian Ethan Case, and Latin Association at Berklee’s “Ídolos Latinos” feat. Tony Succar.

// Now in 2025, he is working on Domas Žeromskas’ 3rd album, performing with Gregory Tardy, Ron Reid, Edmar Colón, and Recording with a plethora of artists and bands currently based in Boston. Additionally, he will be recording his first large-scale project as a bandleader, the “Gratitude Suite: A-Side”.
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