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Uziel Colon
Assistant Professor of Afro-Latin Music and Commercial Piano at Cal State LA
About Me
Uziel Colón is a pianist, arranger, and composer whose remarkable talent has earned him a
well-established name as a prominent musician in the music industry. Throughout the
years, his passion for music has driven him to reach new heights in his musical career,
giving him the opportunity to perform with many great names including renowned
percussionist Eguie Castrillo, legendary vibraphonist Victor Mendoza, percussionists
Giovanni Hidalgo and Marc Quiñones, trumpet players Greg Hopkins and Humberto
Ramirez, and accomplished bassists Oscar Stagnaro, Oskar Cartaya, and Abraham Laboriel.
Uziel was recruited by the Berklee College Summer Program in Puerto Rico and was
offered a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, where he went on to earn a
Bachelor of Music in Composition. While developing sharp classical abilities, Uziel became
strongly influenced by the prevailing jazz scene, and works by Chucho Valdés, Michel
Camilo, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock impacted his repertoire, thus
unlocking new ideas into his work. This took him to take jazz piano and composition lessons
with the legendary Charlie Banacos.
Later on in his musical career, Uziel began working with Conga Master and Berklee
Professor Eguie Castrillo and his Big Band. Highlighted performances with this band
include the Heineken JazzFest and the International JazzFest in Puerto Rico, and the
Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston, among other festivals in the East Coast Area. Also, as a
member of other bands, Uziel has had the opportunity to perform at the Madajazzcar Jazz
Fest in Madagascar, Africa as well as other countries in Latin America and Asia.
After relocating to Los Angeles, California, Uziel pursued a Jazz Studies degree at CalArts
and was highly influenced by Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith. He then transferred to
CalState, Los Angeles where he completed a Master in Commercial Music. While pursuing
his degree, he worked with the Spanish-language television network, Telemundo, where he
wrote and co-produced music for current telenovelas that were airing. At the same time, he
authored a monthly piano technique column for the most important Latin American music
magazine of its time, MusicoPro.
More recently as a Sr. Project Manager for the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) for the past
5 years, Uziel has had the opportunity to foster and grow a vast network of professional
relationships within the music industry, specifically in the TV/Film community. These
relationships have allowed him to properly manage, create and administer committees
comprised of top-level producers, label executives, and artists to review annual entries and
yearly processes.
Similarly, during his previous position at the Latin Recording Academy (LATIN GRAMMYS)
for 7 years, Uziel connected with peers in the Latin Music world in a broader sense due to a
wider net of categories and sub-categories within the yearly awards season. As a result,
Uziel built a system of colleagues with specific backgrounds in various styles of music from
Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the United States inspired by Latin American, Spanish,
and Portuguese music genres.
As an educator, Uziel has been teaching music performance and theory since his late
teenage years. Currently, he works as an Assistant Professor at Cal State University, Los
Angeles, where he directs the Afro-Latin Music Program.
Other career highlights include over 20 years of professional music experience concentrated
on producing, arranging, composing, performing, and leading bands in various music genres
including Afro-Latin, Jazz, Gospel, Pop, and Rock, among others.
