Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Anthony Ocaña was born in the Dominican Republic on March 7, 1980 and from an early age discovered his love for music. At age 5 he started taking piano and violin lessons and by 12 he began playing the guitar. He studied at the National Conservatory of Music of the Dominican Republic, received a scholarship to study at Manhattanville College New York in 1998.
While in New York he worked with Elliot Magaziner, the Frank Sinatra Orchestra conductor, and received the “Senior Josephine Morgan Award” for his professional and academic achievements. In 1999 and 2001, he opened for Gonzalo Rubalcaba at the National Theater of the Dominican Republic; in 2001 Anthony recorded his first album titled “A Paso de Cebra” (Zebra’s Pace) and 2002 saw him moving to Madrid to further his study of composition and guitar.
By 2003 he was again at the National Theatre opening for Brazilian guitarist and pianist Egberto Gismonti, integrating percussion into his music. Ocaña has received several awards for composition, has performed over 50 concerts at all the major venues in Spain, in 2006 he released his self-titled sophomore project was released. He continues to perform all over the world playing concerts and festivals in conjunction with composing and recording.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Alex Acuña was born Alejandro Neciosup Acuña on December 12, 1944 in Pativilca, Peru. He played in local bands such as La Orquesta de los Hermanos Neciosup from the age of ten, then followed his brothers and moved to Lima, Peru as a teenager. At the age of eighteen he joined the band of Perez Prado, and in 1965 moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In 1974 he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and worked with Elvis Presley, The Temptations, and Diana Ross. The following year he joined the jazz-fusion group Weather Report, and while in New York City, Acuña recorded several songs for RCA records. Leaving Weather Report in 1978 he became a session musician in California, recording and playing live with r&b and jazz musicians Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Roberta Flack,Al Jarreau and the list goes on and on.
The Eighties saw Alex recording and touring with the Christian jazz band Koinonia. In 1987 he was summoned back to Perú by producer Ricardo Ghibellini to be the musical producer of Los Hijos del Sol, a group of Peruvians designed to promote Peruvian music worldwide.
Drummer and percussionist Alex Acuña, who has worked as an educator at University of California Los Angeles, and Berklee College of Music, LAMA, Musicians Institute, USC, and CSUN, continues his career of performing and educating.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Alan Plachta was born on November 30, 1981 and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Recently recorded in NYC his last album “Un viaje” in collaboration with Richard Nant, featuring Luis Perdomo on piano, Sam Sadigursky on reeds, Satoshi Takeishi on drums and Matt Pavolka on bass.
As a composer, arranger and conductor he has worked with the Boris Big Band, Orquesta Sudamericana, Kai de Raiz, and Orquesta de Cuerdas Elvino Vardado in collaboration with Juan Pollo Raffo.
Alan has played and/or recorded with numerous South American musicians such as Roberto Taufic, Hugo Fattoruso, Urbano Moraes, Daniel Maza, Robert Vincs, Alex & Nilusha, Alexandre Ribeiro, Ana Luiza and Luis Felipe Gama, Nicolás Ospina, Celeste Carballo, Ligia Piro, Liliana Herrero, and Cecilia Pahl among others.
A leader or co-leader, he has recorded five albums, the first in 2005. A prolific arranger and producer Nussbaum has collaborated as guitarist and guest arranger for Cambrio de Estacion, Roma, Soy Una Tarada, Desmesura, Este Tiempo, Ensamble Real Book Argentina, and Y De Amor No Supe Nada.
As a guitarist he has recorded ninetten albums and his compositions are included in Real Book Argentina. His educator role has Adam teaching ear training, arrangement, harmony and guitar. He is in charge of the Musical Language´s Technichs at the Tecnólogo en Jazz y Música Creativa career at UTEC.
Guitarist, composer, arranger and educator Alan Plachta continues to explore his music and his teaching.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
DANIEL DIAZ 11.22.25
Daniel Díaz Fernández was born on November 22, 1963 in Lanús, Argentina. Living in Paris, France since 1997, he has collaborated with Juan Carlos Cáceres, on the single Tango Negro, and on the album Toca Tango. In 1993 he recorded his first album The Years Alone released by Green Linnet/Xenophile Records. The variety of styles in this album was mentioned by critics. He played most of the parts fretted and fretless basses, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, and more.
He continued this solo career with Segundo Ciclo, recorded in 1997, released by Dutch jazz label Timeless Records in 2002, and Swan Song, released in 2015, always with guest players from around the world. Both albums featured the cosmopolitan jazz-fusion style of the first one.
Since 2005 Diaz has been composing and recording for films, TV and documentaries. He works for French publisher and music library Cezame Music Agency for whom he composed and recorded more than 250 tracks and released 5 albums alone or in collaboration.
Since 2010 his music has been used on many TV documentaries and films. In 2022 his track “Club Recoleta” from the album Elec’ Tango was used on Tom McCarthy’s feature film Stillwater
Bassist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, Raúl Diaz whose last collaboration in 2023 with Raúl Barboza was on the album Souvenirs Panamericanos, continues to perform and compose.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rolando Matias was born on November 20, 1957 in Cupey Alto, San Juan, Puerto Rico. A self-taught musician, he applies his formal training as an architect into his musical education. He started playing percussion at a young age at the local Bembes, a neighborhood gathering where rumberos jam and improvise together.
Rolando has performed or recorded with Chuchito Valdez, Benny Maupin, Leon ..Ndugu.. Chadler, Azar Lawrence, Othello Molineaux, Mimi Fox, Bobby Matos, Bobby Sanabria, Bill Summers, Lenny Castro, Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, Kenny Neal, Duke Robillard, Cleveland Roberto Ocasio, David Sanchez, and the list goes on and on.
His projects vary from Rolando Matias & The Afro-Rican Ensemble, Afro-Latin-BeBop, Latin-Soulsa & Jazz RM:Intrin-x-ico, Afro-Jazz Rolando Matias & Cuba-son Salsa na ma!, and Afro-Latin-Hip/Hop.
Percussionist Rolando Matias, who plays congas, bongos, cowbells, bata drums, hand percussion, claves, guiros, and maracas, etc, continues to perform and explore music from the African Diaspora.
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