Behind The Music

This album is the culmination of a personal and musical journey, born from my curiosity and deep reflection on what it means to be a Latin jazz guitarist. It’s an exploration of how Afro-Caribbean elements—clave, montunos, tumbaos, rhythms, and melodies—can be woven into the fabric of jazz guitar. The result is a conversation between tradition and innovation, a blending of the harmonic sophistication of jazz with the rhythmic soul of Afro-Caribbean music.

The question at the heart of this project was simple yet profound: What could the Latin side of jazz guitar sound like? Each track is an answer, showcasing how the guitar can stand as an equal to instruments like the piano, cuatro, or tres in leading a band melodically, harmonically, and rhythmically.

This journey began when I left my hometown of Puerto Rico and moved to Chicago in 2022. Stepping away from home for the first time gave me a new lens through which to see my cultural identity. Surrounded by a mosaic of cultures and musical traditions in Chicago, I found myself drawn back to my roots, reevaluating what it means to be Puerto Rican and how my identity could shine through my music.

My fascination with Afro-Caribbean rhythms and how they intersect with jazz became a cornerstone of this project. Through this process, I learned to craft montunos on the guitar and discovered new ways to blend the rhythmic vitality of my heritage with the harmonic language of jazz.