Carlos Jimenez

Carlos Jimenez is an extraordinary flute player and vocalist, as well as composer and band leader of Jazz, Latin Jazz and Salsa. Born in Yonkers, New York, his family moved to Villaba, Puerto Rico when he was six years old. It was there that his musical training began.

From a young age, Carlos had an aptitude for percussion and played timbales, bongos and congas. His first lyrical instrument was trumpet, which he studied under Professor Pablo Leon at Francisco Zayas Santana High School. Carlos soon changed his instrument to flute, feeling inspired listening to the music of Mongo Santamaria and how he utilized the flute in his arrangements. He performed with his school’s big band throughout the Island. Thus began his early days as a flutist and his passion for the instrument. Carlos returned to New York as a young adult to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz flutist.

He began studying classical flute at the Music Conservatory of Westchester under Dave Fenucane before expanding his repertoire to include jazz studying privately with master musicians Mario Rivera; Dave Valentin; Bobby Porcelli; Mitch Frohman; Vinnie Rickitelli; Rolando Briseno and Enrique Fernandez. A few years later, he studied harmony and voicings with master pianist, Mike Longo as well as Alfredo Valdes Jr. and Hilton Ruiz.

To date, Carlos has recorded eight albums of his own compositions and arrangements. As in a fantastic dream come true, some of the very musicians who inspired him as a kid have participated in these recordings: Hilton Ruiz; Oscar Hernandez; Stephane Ronget; David Schnitter; Edy Martinez; Dave Valentin; Sonny Bravo ; Eddie Montalvo; Nicky Marrero; Lewis Kahn; Bobby Porcelli; Alfredo Valdes Jr. ; Hector Martignon; Ruben Rodriguez; and Vince Cherico.

Awards

Business Outreach Center Network

Manhattan MBDA Business Center Hispanic Heritage Awards,

Carlos Jimenez, ARTS FIRM of THE YEAR AWARD, October, 2021

Gear

Yamaha Flutes, Selmer Piccolo & Germeinhardt Flutes

Tags

Album Review

Arriving by Stephen Latessa
Red Tailed Hawk by Edward Blanco
Red Tailed Hawk by Dan Bilawsky
Woods by Richard J Salvucci

May 05, 2011

From the basement to the Montréal Jazz Festival: Guitarist Carlos...

“Jazz flautist Carlos Jimenez from Yonkers New York produces his latest musical project with his new “Thoughts” CD comprised of eleven new and original compositions firmly grounded in the smooth jazz tradition and containing strong elements of Latin Jazz, a genre with which Jimenez is closely associated. Sounding a bit like flautist Dave Valentin, Jimenez displays his ample chops on the flute leading a quartet which includes bassist Ruben Rodriguez, drummer Vince Cherico and Fidel Cuellar on the piano. The album opens up with a couple of smooth jazz tunes in “Carlitos My Son” and “Bluedo” featuring Cuellar on the keyboards as Jimenez makes the flute sing to high pitched notes