Steve Kroon was born in Spanish Harlem to parents who had moved to New York City from their native Puerto Rico. His surname comes from his grandfather, who immigrated to La Isla Encantada from the Dutch-speaking Caribbean island of Curaçao. At the age of nine, the family moved to Queens, where the youngsters interest in music was further sparked by the presence of many noted jazz and R&B musicians. "In my neighborhood," he recalls today, "I had Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis as a neighbor, and Lester Young was four blocks away. James Brown also lived in the area. But I came with all of my Latin roots, thanks to my father. I was fortunate in being able to hear the whole spectrum of music." He studied Afro-Cuban percussion with Tommy López, Sr. and later Brazilian rhythms with Dom Um Romão. With such a wealth of knowledge under his belt, it's not surprising that Kroon quickly became a first-call percussionist for recording sessions that required a wide range of talents. Over the years, such diverse artists as Diana Krall, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, The Temptations, Bill Cosby, Kenny G, Ron Carter, Spyro Gyra, Bette Midler, Gary Bartz and Paul Butterfield have tapped Kroon's seemingly endless array of skills for their projects. His two decade-long professional association with R&B crooner Luther Vandross underscores Kroon's reputation as one of the world's most versatile and respected percussionists."My time with Luther was great," Kroon says today, "but when it came time to do my own thing, I always knew that it was going to be Latin jazz, because that's where my heart is."