Born in Havana in 1972, Cuban percussionist, guitarist and singer, Joel Hierrezuelo Balart grew up in the musical world of his family. Lorenzo, Caridad and Reynaldo Hierrezuelo are his great-uncles. He graduated in music pedagogy at the Superior Institute of Havana.
Based in Paris since 1997, he forges his musical path through Latin music, jazz, and world music with multiple artists such as: Amadou & Mariam, Alfredo Rodriguez y los Aserekós, Omara Portuondo, Roberto Fonseca, Angélique Kidjo, Anga Diaz, Fatoumata Diawara, Mayra Andrade, Manu Katché, Yonathan Avishai, Pierre de Pethmann, Salome de Bahia, Bob Synclair, Gilles Peterson, Africando, Tata Guînes, Jose Luis Quintana (changuito) Leading his quintet since 2017, he produces his most recent albums Zapateo Suite (2018), Así de simple (2020) and Cimarron in 2022.
