Freddy 'Fuego' Gonzalez was born into a Puerto Rican family in New York City and raised on the sounds of East Harlem in the 90s and 2000s -- a mix of funk, salsa, jazz and hip-hop that heavily influences his music. Music ran deep in his family: his father played the saxophone; Tio Alfred led the church choir; Tio Ray was a background singer for La India; Tio Ibrahim had a radio show in the Bronx. Freddy followed in these footsteps, picking up the trombone at the age of 13. By 18, he was performing around the city with salsa and hip-hop bands all over the city. After playing a show at The Blue Note in 2006, he dropped out of Fordham University and decided to pursue "the music thing." That dream brought him to Berklee College of Music in Boston, then The New School for Jazz on a full scholarship.