Ralph Irizarry's love for the commanding Latin tones of the timbales is what has fueled his career since 1970. While he admits he started late, Ralph also says that his passion has been all consuming since he was a 16 year old in Queens, New York.

Ralph says his father was given a set of timbales by someone who owed him money. In his Queens neighborhood, an older man who played congas inspired him enough to drag out the timbales and begin playing. As fate would have it, he's been playing ever since./p>

>Ralph's career has included 13 years with Ruben Blades, as well as tours and sessions with Paul Simon, Cachao, Harry Belafonte and many others. Currently, he spends most of his time and energy playing with his Latin jazz group, Timbalaye, who have played numerous gigs in the New York City area and have recorded a new solo album./p>

Ralph has also had the honor of performing at the White House, an invitation from President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton./p>

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