Glen Velez (born 1949) is a four-time Grammy winning American percussionist, vocalist, and composer, specializing in frame drums from around the world. He is largely responsible for the increasing popularity of frame drums in the United States and around the world. Velez is married to Loire.

Of Mexican American ancestry, Velez was born in Dallas and grew up in Texas but moved to New York City in 1967. He began by playing jazz on the drums but soon gravitated to hand drums from around the world (frame drums in particular), seeking out teachers from many different musical traditions. Among the many instruments Velez favors are the Irish bodhrán, the Brazilian pandeiro, the Arabic riq, the North African bendir, and the Azerbaijani ghaval. Although these instruments are similar in construction, they have their own playing techniques. Velez has studied each instrument traditionally, but he has also developed his own cross-cultural musical vocabulary, mixing and adapting techniques from various cultures and developing new ones (such as playing the bodhrán with brushes). He has been influential in the growing international interest in frame drums, and many younger players now use his techniques. He teaches percussion and frame drums at Mannes College of Music and The Juilliard School.

He also plays other percussion instruments such as the Venezuelan maracas and steel drum, and is skilled at overtone singing and Konnakol.

Velez’s compositions are frequently composed for cross-cultural ensembles in which he himself also performs; he is particularly fond of polyrhythm—superimposing different meters simultaneously.

Velez was a longtime member of the Paul Winter Consort and Steve Reich and Musicians. He has also worked with Layne Redmond, Howard Levy, Steve Gorn, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Marc Cohn, Suzanne Vega, Glen Moore, Malcolm Dalglish, and Jonas Hellborg.

Velez’s students include Layne Redmond, Yousif Sheronick, Shane Shanahan, Glen Fittin, Randy Crafton, N. Scott Robinson and Taku Hirano.

www.glenvelez.com