It's no secret that for most of the 20th Century, Cuban music and musicians played important roles in influencing and revitalizing North American popular culture. From Ernesto Lecuona and Desi Arnaz to Chano Pozo, Paquito D'Rivera and Gloria Estefan, a wide stylistic panorama, from classical to pop and jazz idioms, has been constantly invigorated by the presence of supremely talented Cuban musicians and their distinctive music traditions.

Today, the name of drummer and composer Francisco Mela can be added to this illustrious list. He's been in the U.S. for the than two decades, Mela has become one of the most talked about and in-demand Cuban musicians of his generation. "Melao," his debut album for the Barcelona, Spain-based AYVA Musica label, features a cadre of jazz giants, among them tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, who quickly became one of the drummers biggest fans.

Born in 1968 in Bayamo, Cuba, Francisco was pointed in the direction of music at an early age by his father, who was artistic director of cultural programs in this historic town nestled in the Sierra Maestra Mountain range. When I was a little kid, we had a guitar in our home, he recalls, and my dad tried to get me interested, but I never really got into it. Rather, he pursued an interest in painting and spent three years in the local School of Plastic Arts. Then, the 15-year old headed off to Havana to attend a festival, not realizing that he was missing the final exam and would be expelled from the institution. Unfazed, he switched gears and enrolled in the town's El Yarey Music School, taking classes in classical and Afro-Cuban percussion. Francisco then changed roles, becoming an instructor at Bayamo's Rafael Cabrera Conservatory of Music. At the same time, he furthered his education, earning a degree in music and percussion from the Centro Nacional de Superación de la Enseñanza Artística (CENSEA, the National School of Arts for Teachers).

A trip to Havana brought the young drummer into contact with famed Cuban jazz pianist Emiliano Salvador and an opportunity to perform with his Nueva Visión quartet. Going from Bayamo to Havana would be like going from Hartford to New York City, Francisco recalls. You say, Wow, this is a great city! I want to make it here! While in Havana, he was also employed at Havana's famed national dance school, the training ground for some of the worlds finest ballet artists, playing Afro-Cuban batá drums for dancers learning folkloric routines.

In pianist Gabriel Hernández group, he performed at the Jazz Plaza festival, organized by none other than jazz pianist, bandleader and composer. His first opportunity to perform outside of Cuba came when Hernández was booked for an appearance at the Cancún Jazz Festival. In 1997, Francisco returned to Mexico to perform in Cancún with his own group, the MelaSon Latin Jazz Band. Then, a chance encounter with Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez led him to a life-changing decision. —Danilo encouraged me to move to Boston, Francisco reminisces.— He said, —Don't worry. if you come to Boston, you're going to end up playing with better people than me.

He initially planned to study at either Berklee College or The New England Conservatory of Music, but professional opportunities headed him in another direction. It wasnt long before Francisco was the house drummer of Wally's Café, one of Boston's hottest jazz clubs. While honing his own sound as a jazz drummer and broadening his leadership role as leader of a quintet, he also had an opportunity to back such world class talent as Pérez, fellow Cuban Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and his longtime idol, drummer Roy Haynes.

 Elvin Jones was the first jazz drummer I heard, through recordings, while still in Cuba,— Francisco remembers. —I loved the music, but at first, I didn't understand it. But when I discovered Roy Haynes, that was the one -it all made sense, and he became my biggest influence.

Eventually, he started playing with music professors at Berklee. Then, one day, he received a call to teach at the prestigious institution. But I still feel like a student,— he says gleefully. He balances a hectic schedule of appearances with pianist Kenny Barron, saxophonists Lovano, David Sanchez and George Garzone, bassist John Patitucci, guitarist John Scofield and many other noted leaders and performances with his own group with teaching a class in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion and teaching private lessons to two dozen students.