Henry Cole

Henry Cole is a Mayagüez-born drummer, composer, arranger, educator, and bandleader connecting Puerto Rican traditions with contemporary jazz.

DrumsComposerArrangerEducator6 current shows

Photo source · Official artist media

Career Overview

About Henry Cole

Cole's official biography identifies Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, as his hometown and dates his start on piano to age four and drums to age nine. His training continued at Escuela Libre de Música de Mayagüez, Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Berklee College of Music, and Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with John Riley.[1]

The biography and leader discography connect his own Villa Locura music to a long association with Miguel Zenón's quartet. They also document Escuelas en Ritmo, the outreach program Cole established in Puerto Rico in 2018 to bring performances, rhythm workshops, and music instruction into schools.[1][2]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Founder, drummer, composer, and arranger

Henry Cole & Villa Locura

Cole's artist site frames Villa Locura as the vehicle for music shaped by Afro-Puerto Rican rhythm, contemporary jazz composition, and ensemble experimentation.[1][2]

Drummer

Miguel Zenón Quartet

The official biography documents more than two decades in Zenón's quartet and links Cole's rhythmic work to the ensemble's recordings and tours.[1]

Founder and educator

Escuelas en Ritmo

Established 2018

Cole founded the Puerto Rico outreach program to combine live performance, rhythm workshops, instruction, mentorship, and instrument access.[1]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

2012

Roots Before Branches

Leader, drummer, and composer

Cole's biography and discography identify this as his debut leader album and the opening statement in his Villa Locura recording arc.[1][2]

Release details

2015

Buscando La Vida

Leader, drummer, and composer

The artist biography describes the follow-up as a socially engaged project integrating Afro-Puerto Rican traditions with contemporary jazz composition.[1][2]

Release details

2025

De Mayagüez

Leader, drummer, composer, and arranger

Cole's official discography presents the album as a return to his hometown as a source for compositions about place, memory, lineage, and forward motion.[1][2]

Release details

Artist-Authorized Destinations