Results for "Latin Jazz"

Ansel Mauricio

Born: April 15

Born in New York City and shaped by the rhythms of two worlds, Ansel Mauricio is a young talent on the rise in the world of Contemporary Jazz. At just 15 years old — turning 16 on April 15 — he is already a student at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música of the Dominican Republic, where his artistry is developing at a pace that turns heads and silences rooms.

Ansel's musical identity is a fearless conversation between tradition and modernity. He cites Holger Marjamaa for his sonic expression, his maestro Gustavo "Gus" Rodríguez for his melodic improvisation and mastery of emotional continuity, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba for teaching him the power of space — in melody, in improvisation, in silence

Pete Kelly

Holman Alvarez

Born: February 3, 1981

Website

Holman Álvarez is a Colombian pianist and composer known for visiting some musical territories—including Colombian and Latin American traditions, jazz, classical, contemporary music, and free improvisation. Born in Barranquilla and raised in Cali, his work reflects a deep curiosity for exploring connections across genres and disciplines.

He studied piano and composition at Universidad del Valle, earned a master’s in composition from Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, and pursued jazz piano at the Conservatorio Manuel de Falla in Buenos Aires.

Gilad Barakan

Gilad Barakan’s Unsettled reimagines the acoustic guitar in an expanded and unconventional role—a lyrical lead voice carried by the organic character of the instrument. Joining him is a new generation of internationally sought-after musicians: pianist Ahmed Alom (Pedrito Martinez), bassist Tal Mashiach (Anat Cohen), and drummer Ofri Nehemya (Shai Maestro, Kurt Rosenwinkel).

Spending more than a decade performing and writing alongside Grammy-winning artists from around the world, Gilad Barakan has built an international career rooted in collaboration and live performance. At 20, he received the Outstanding Player Award from Musicians Institute, presented by Scott Henderson, and soon began touring internationally with a range of artists. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2015, he worked closely with Venezuelan singer Nella as a co-writer, producer, and touring guitarist. He later produced Tamara Jokić’s 2025 album Kuća, collaborated extensively with Turkish singer Elif Sanchez, and is currently touring with Grammy-winning vocalist Chandrika Tandon.

Bobby Rozario

Jazz / Rock / Fusion guitar virtuoso of Indian and Brazilian-Portuguese descent, based in New York City, Bobby Rozario is a third-generation musician mentored by his parents in genres of World music, and grew up learning music playing a variety of eclectic and World Jazz Rock and Blues. His blazing, idiosyncratic style interprets melodic lines of Ragas and blends them into captivating lines injected with Afro-Latin and Jazz / Rock / Fusion vocabulary.

Recently, Bobby completed production on his second solo album released by Origin Records named “Spellbound”, which features a diverse range of world-class Grammy winning musicians, including drum icons such as Dennis Chambers and Robby Ameen, and bass wizards Gary Grainger and James Genus, Melvin Gibbs along with Puerto-Rican Jazz pianist Edsel Gomez, Jazz organist Radam Schwartz and keyboardist Neil Alexander.

Itay Abramovitz

Born: May 2, 1975

Israeli pianist, composer, and producer Itay Abramovitz is a versatile musician whose work bridges modern jazz with global influences, particularly Latin, Afro-Cuban, Mediterranean, and world music traditions.

An active performer in Israel, Europe and USA, he has collaborated with leading Israeli artists including Yasmin Levy, David Broza, Pablo Rosenberg and more. 

Abramovitz is a core member and pianist of the contemporary jazz trio Atempo, known for its original music and cross-cultural sound. Alongside his performing career, he composes and produces for film, theater, and diverse musical projects, and is actively involved in music education, with a focus on Latin and global music styles.

João Lenhari

João Lenhari is a Brazilian trumpeter, composer,
arranger, and educator based in Montreal. The first
musician to earn a Doctorate in Jazz Performance
from the Université de Montréal, he studied with
Canadian jazz legend Ron Di Lauro, whom he
succeeded as Musical Director of the university’s Big
Band in 2023.
Recognized as an arranger, Lenhari has worked with
ensembles and artists such as Nelson Ayres Big
Band, Brasil Jazz Sinfônica, Banda Urbana, Leticia
Persilles, Diogo Ramos, and Taïs Reganelli, and was
twice a finalist for the Prêmio Profissionais da
Música. He has also composed and arranged
soundtracks for film and television, including the
feature film Chacrinha, o Velho Guerreiro, the short
film Inevitável, and the Netflix miniseries Os Donos
do Jogo.

Zenekar

Zenekar are an ensemble of curious musicians who venture across a vast array of musical contexts and cultures. The group partners daring improvisation with global musical styles, along with classical and folk traditions.

The focus of their debut studio album Swirls was to create original works with these improvisatory and global influences paramount. Perhaps the Zenekar sound is best summed up by Accordionist John Reeves commenting “each piece is like its own little musical universe” whilst recording at Alchemix Studio with Marly Luske at the helm. 

Their previous release of a live performance at the Brisbane Ethnic Music & Arts Centre (BEMAC) on the Jazz in Meanjin series (4000 Records) was a finalist for the Qld Music Award 2024 in the World category

Armen Donelian

Born: 1950

For fifty years, pianist, composer and Fulbright Scholar ARMEN DONELIAN has distinguished himself in 25 countries as a performer, recording artist, producer, educator and with his published writings. Donelian’s music is a distinctive blend of influences including his Armenian origin, his Classical technique, and his association with some of the biggest names in Jazz. And, according to Metronom, he achieves this fusion “in such a natural way that one can tell it’s a master’s work.”

As a child, Armen absorbed the sound of Armenian, Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern music at social gatherings and from records his father played at home.

The Inter Section

Active since: 2024

The Inter Section is a collective of musicians from around the world recording contemporary jazz that is melodic and easily approachable. The songs meld the sounds and rhythms of Pop, R&B, Soul, Latin and World music and presents them in a jazz context.

The Inter Section's music is written and produced by Steve Ehrlich from his (necessary) sofa as he suffers from Chronic Lyme Disease. He offers an example for others with similar limitations of what is possible even when their everyday lives have been turned upside down.

Proceeds from the sale of The Inter Section's music are donated to lymedisease.org and Bay Area Lyme Foundation.