Our American Dream: A Puerto Rican Five-time Grammy-award-nominee from the Bronx

Booby Sanabria is a Bronx-born drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, producer, and writer specializing in Latin jazz. His parents are from Puerto Rico. (Photo by Jeff Sacks via Bobby Sanabria)

Bobby Sanabria grew up in the projects of the Fort Apache section of the South-Bronx (Bobby Sanabria)

Bobby Sanabaria as a toddler with his mother. His parents moved to New York form Puerto Rico. (Bobby Sanabria)

He has been nominated five times to win the Grammy Award (Twice in the mainstream Grammy nominations and three times in the Latin Grammy). This picture is from the 2008 mainstream Grammy ceremony. Sanabria was nominated for Best Latin Jazz recording 2007. (Bobby Sanabria )

Sanabria is the orchestra conductor of the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra of the Manhattan School of Music. In 2009 the Afro-Cuban jazz orchestra of the Manhattan School of Music was nominated for the category of best Latin jazz album at the Latin Grammys, a recognition the school had never received before. (Brian Hatton via Bobby Sanabria)

In 2006 Sanabria was inducted into the Bronx Walk of fame having a permanent street named after him in the Bronx’s Grand Concourse. (Bobby Sanabria)