Pimienta Brava is a Puerto Rican salsa and Latin jazz orchestra founded in 2011 by director and timbalero Samuel Skerrett Parrilla. Born in Hato Rey, San Juan, Skerrett grew up in a musical family where his father listened to trio and jÃbara music, his mother listened to pentecostal music, and his older brothers William and Héctor listened to salsa and Latin jazz. When the group began in 2011, they initially went by the names "Los chicos pimienta" and "Pimienta y sal pa' fuera" before establishing themselves as Pimienta Brava.
In 2024, the orchestra released the album "De Verda'" (also titled "Pimienta Brava… de Verda' / en honor a un grande"). The recording consists of traditional "salsa gorda" and Latin jazz tracks. Aside from a few covers, such as Miles Davis's "All Blues" and Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz's "Echando Candela", the album features original compositions. Arrangements for the release were crafted by Pedro Bermudez, Rafi Cuna, Luis Quevedo, and Luis Rafael Torres.
