Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeickov Vital.
Jeickov, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, surrounded by music, singing, dance, and traditions that shaped my identity. From a very young age, the drum became my voice: a way to connect with my Afro-Venezuelan roots and to express emotions through my hands.
I moved to Mérida to study Education at the prestigious University of the Andes, where I graduated as a licensed educator. In 2000, I founded Tambores Bombayá, a project dedicated to bringing the ancestral rhythms of the Venezuelan drum into dialogue with world music. With this ensemble, I performed on important stages across Venezuela and internationally in countries such as Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, and Colombia.
Later, I had the honor of serving as a traditional percussion professor in the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela (El Sistema), where I participated in special projects under the guidance of Maestro José Antonio Abreu and Gustavo Dudamel. That experience was key to consolidating my career and allowed me to obtain the O1 visa, granted to individuals with extraordinary abilities, which enabled me to begin representing my culture in the United States.
In 2016, I was invited to the Viva Venezuela Festival in Houston. That moment marked a turning point in my career, as it opened the doors to expand my artistic proposal beyond Venezuela and to connect my cultural heritage with new international audiences.
Since then, I have continued my journey in the United States, performing at major festivals and venues such as the Percussion Week at Berklee College of Music in Boston, the Detroit Jazz Festival, the NAMM Show in Los Angeles, the Savannah Music Festival, Drum Fest Miami, and the SuaCasa Festival in Charlotte, among others. More recently, I was selected as an artist for the Musical Explorers program at Carnegie Hall in New York for the 2026 Savannah season, an educational initiative that connects thousands of children with the music of the world.
Today, Savannah, Georgia, is my artistic base. From here, I continue to share a proposal that fuses the ancestral energy of the Afro-Venezuelan drum with song, dance, fusion, and world music, offering a performance that bridges the ancestral with the contemporary.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has not been easy. As an immigrant artist in the United States, one of the biggest challenges has been starting from scratch in a new country with a different culture. Although I have now been here for 10 years, in the beginning it was very difficult to be away from my family and my children, who joined me later. That separation marked my first years here and was one of the hardest emotional challenges I have faced.
There were times when I had to work in jobs unrelated to music in order to support my family, while still searching for spaces where I could share my artistic vision.
It has also been a challenge to open doors for a traditional music like the Afro-Venezuelan drum, which is not always immediately understood in international settings. However, those obstacles became motivation: they pushed me to innovate, to fuse the drum with other genres, and to prove that our culture has a place on any stage in the world.
Each difficulty has strengthened my conviction that music is not only art, but also resistance, identity, and a bridge to unite cultures.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a percussionist and musician specialized in Afro-Venezuelan rhythms. My work consists of showcasing the traditional drum through an artistic proposal that is both sonic and visual.
I specialize in transmitting the ancestral energy of the Afro-Venezuelan drum on every stage, integrating percussion, singing, and dance. What sets me apart is that I don’t just play an instrument, I create a complete experience where the drum becomes a bridge between cultures, tradition, and innovation.
In addition to my artistic career, I have also worked as an educator, developing workshops, classes, and programs in schools and institutions that introduce traditional percussion to children and young people. I firmly believe that music is a tool for social transformation and that music education not only preserves our roots but also opens pathways to new creative possibilities.
What I am most proud of is carrying the cultural representation of my country in the United States, and that today my children and my family accompany me in this mission, sharing it with humility and respect so the world can know it. I am also proud of having elevated the Venezuelan drum to be recognized as an honored guest on important stages and of sharing the stage with world-class artists such as Victor Wooten, Joachim Horsley, Etienne Charles, Sam Reider, among others.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I firmly believe that no one achieves anything alone, which is why I place God and Jesus above all, thanking them every day for the protection and opportunities they give me.
Along my journey, several people have been fundamental. First, my family: my parents, Thays and Orangel, who passed on to me the love for music and culture; my brother, Jorvic Vital, who was the great driving force in bringing Venezuelan cultural experiences to the United States; and today my children: Isod, Ethan, Ethienne, and Aiden, along with my wife Roestelys, who accompany me in this mission and give me the strength to keep going every day.
I must also give credit to Maestro José Antonio Abreu and Acuarius Zambrano, who through El Sistema gave me the opportunity to teach, learn, and grow as both an artist and an educator.
I am deeply grateful to all the cultural bearers and masters in Venezuela who opened the doors of their communities to me, sharing the ancestral knowledge of the drum, without them, I would not have the roots that sustain me today.
Finally, I want to thank all the people in the United States who have welcomed me, supported me, and offered stages to present my work. They have made it possible for the Afro-Venezuelan drum to have a place in new audiences and cultures.
Pricing:
- Performances / Festivals: Negotiable
- Educational Workshops (schools, universities, community): Negotiable
- Private Masterclasses: Negotiable
- Collaborations / Special Projects: Negotiable
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jeickov.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeickov_vital/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tambores.bombaya
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeickov-vital-11026b108/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Jeickov_vital
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jeickov_vital
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jeickov-vital
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeickov_vital
