Renowned Canary Islands Drummer Alfredo Llanos Penedo Dies at 66

The Canary Islands music scene is mourning the loss of one of its most versatile figures. Drummer Alfredo Llanos Penedo has passed away in Tenerife at the age of 66. His death leaves a significant gap in the local cultural community, where he was respected not only for his performances but also for his dedication to teaching, which shaped generations of local percussionists.

Versatility defined his career. Llanos Penedo moved effortlessly between genres, from the avant-garde progressive rock of the 1970s with the band Imago—a group that helped modernize the islands' sound—to the complexities of jazz fusion. In 1988, he helped found Jazz Borondón alongside musicians like Luis Fernández, José Carlos Machado, José Pedro Pérez, and Ruskin Herman, cementing his reputation as a highly adaptable instrumentalist.

His work appears on a vast number of recordings, ranging from the folk music of Taburiente, with whom he worked for 15 years, to the Taller Canario de Canción, which he rejoined for their 2017 comeback. His resume also includes collaborations with major artists such as Los Sabandeños, Benito Cabrera, and Arístides Moreno, as well as projects with singer Rita Tavarez and the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside his performance career, he was a committed teacher. Through his private lessons and his work at the La Laguna School of Music, where he taught drums and ensemble classes, he passed on his technical precision and musical sensitivity to new students, ensuring his influence lives on.

A funeral service will be held this Friday, August 28, at 5:00 p.m. at the Santa Lastenia funeral home in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Colleagues remember him not just for his skill, but for the integrity and honesty he brought to his music and his creative collaborations.