Home » Jazz Musicians » Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera

A world-class musician, composer, arranger and educator, Diego Rivera has entertained audiences for over 20 years. Rivera is known for his muscular tone and unique blend of straight-ahead jazz fused with music inspired by his Latino background and heritage. He is a tenured Associate Professor of Jazz Saxophone at Michigan State University where he also serves as Associate Director of Jazz Studies. 

Rivera was born in Ann Arbor, MI and raised ‘just up the road’ in East Lansing, MI. Born into a Mexican-American family, his Chicano heritage has always been important to him and shaped his creative endeavors. His parents named him after the famed muralist, Diego Rivera. A trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts at a young age inspired him to make his own mark with the Saxophone rather than the brush. He attended Michigan State University where he studied with Andrew Speight, Branford Marsalis, Ron Blake and Rodney Whitaker. 

In 1999, he began his professional and touring career with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra on their Big Band ‘99 tour. Since that maiden voyage, he has performed concerts at the most prestigious venues and festivals across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. He currently leads his own group, The Diego Rivera Quartet. Rivera has also toured with GRAMMY-Award winning vocalist, Kurt Elling, JUNO-Award winning Canadian Jazz Vocalist, Sophie Milman and The Rodney Whitaker Quintet. He is a member of the The Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band (New York, NY), the Jazz @ Dr. Phillips Center Orchestra (Orlando, FL) and the Gathering Orchestra (Detroit, MI). He has also performed with artists:Ellis Marsalis, Christian McBride, Wycliffe Gordon, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, the Gerald Wilson Big Band and the Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. 

Rivera has several credits to his name as a recording artist, composer and arranger. His latest solo project Indigenous was released in 2021 and climbed to #7 on the JazzWeek Radio Charts. Rivera’s newest project Mestizo will release in early 2022. His debut release on Posi-Tone, Connections, quickly gained attention when it hit the JazzWeek Radio charts as the “Highest Debut”. Rivera’s first recording, Hercules was released in 2006 on his record label, Rivera Records. His sophomore release, The Contender (D- Clef Records 2013) received national critical acclaim reaching the Top 10 on the JazzWeek Radio Charts. He has also appeared on several recordings as a sideman on the Posi-Tone, Mack Avenue and Detroit Music Factory Record Labels. 

An avid composer and arranger, Rivera has written arrangements for various recordings, projects and artists most notably for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Motor City Jazz” concert. A tribute to the music and musicians of Detroit. His arranging work can be heard on recordings by: Carl Allen-Rodney Whitaker, Get Ready (2007) and Work To Do (2008); Ulysses Owens Jr., Onward & Upward (2014); The New Century Quintet, The Time Is Now (2014); Michael Dease, Decisions (2015)/Bonafied (2018) and most recently on the Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band debut recording, Soul Conversations (2021). 

Read more

Tags

6
Album Review

Blue Moods: Swing & Soul

Read "Swing & Soul" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


Swing & Soul is the second in a series of recordings by Blue Moods, one of the projects initiated by Posi-Tone Records producer Marc Free to attract new listeners to jazz. The release showcases a collection of compositions by pianist Duke Pearson, an underrecognized figure who worked for Blue Note as an A&R man, arranger, and sideman, in addition to leading several dates that remain in high regard by many aficionados. Five of Posi-Tone's leading lights, tenor ...

4
Album Review

Altin Sencalar: In Good Standing

Read "In Good Standing" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


In many ways, In Good Standing is a jazz aficionado's dream. Trombonist, composer, and arranger Altin Sencalar's inaugural disc as a leader for Posi-Tone encourages granular, analytical consideration. It is worthwhile to pause and think about the details of inspired performances, ponder the efficacy of Sencalar's original compositions and interpretations of gems penned by jazz giants, and contemplate the numerous examples of his band's esprit de corps. Conversely, it would be a shame to only concentrate on these things and ...

5
Album Review

Diego Rivera: Love & Peace

Read "Love & Peace" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


While some of its roots lie in jazz practices of the mid-to-late twentieth century, Diego Rivera's Love & Peace brushes aside the expectations and comparisons which often accompany newly-recorded records that bear a resemblance to sounds from the past. The tenor and soprano saxophonist assembled a cast of players who frequently appear on Posi-Tone releases. Pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston have met the challenges of loads of jazz and improvised music projects, ...

4
Radio & Podcasts

New Releases From Diego Rivera, Matt Greenwood, Nicholas Brust, And More!

Read "New Releases From Diego Rivera, Matt Greenwood, Nicholas Brust, And More!" reviewed by Bob Osborne


On this show variety is the name of the game with a selection of new releases from Matt Greenwood, Nicholas Brust, Astroturf Noise—Sam Day Harmet, Sana Nagano & Zachary Swanson, The Necks, Falkner Evans, Alex Weiss, Tomer Cohen, and Diego Rivera.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Matt Greenwood “Dehyah" from Atlas (Self Released) 00:43 Nicholas Brust “The Absence of You" from Daybreak (Outside In Music) 06:57 Astroturf Noise “Medium Lonely Blues (ft. Stash Wyslouch)" from Blazing/Freezing (577 Records) 13:28 The ...

20
Album Review

Nathan Borton: Each Step

Read "Each Step" reviewed by Jane Kozhevnikova


Each Step is the debut recording by guitarist Nathan Borton. As his website accurately states, Borton draws heavily from the mid-western tradition of bebop and blues. His influences include Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and Kenny Burrell. The album offers an enjoyable tour through the straight-ahead tradition. There are three standards early on: Cole Porter's “Just One of Those Things," Harry Warren's “The More I See You" and John Lewis' “Milestones." These show the virtuosity of Borton's solo lines. ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

New Sounds, Different Directions

Read "New Sounds, Different Directions" reviewed by Bob Osborne


Featured on this week's show new material from talented guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos, cutting edge piano trio explorations from Mostly Other People Do The Killing, great new improvisations from Adam Nolan's trio and Massimo Magee with a variety of different partners. There's also a brand new release from Diego Rivera plus a couple of new albums featuring Ivo Perelman, and, one or two other treats as well.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Tassos Spiliotopoulos “Let's Pretend" from Solitude (Self Released) 00:53 ...

38
Album Review

Nathan Borton: Each Step

Read "Each Step" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Judging from recent album releases, the guitar remains an essential part of the contemporary jazz scene. The latest example among many is this tasteful session led by Kansas-born, Michigan-based Nathan Borton, adding his name to an ample roster of newly minted guitar-led or guitar-centered albums by Doug MacDonald, Graham Dechter, Kristian Borring, Randy Napoleon, John Moulder, Hendrik Braeckman, Paul Bollenback, Matt Dingledine and others. What does Borton have that they may not? When it comes to technique and perception—that is, ...

Read more articles

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Swing & Soul

Posi-Tone Records
2024

buy

Love & Peace

Posi-Tone Records
2023

buy

Between The Bars

Posi-Tone Records
2023

buy

In Good Standing

Posi-Tone Records
2023

buy

Each Step

OA2 Records
2022

buy

Mestizo

Posi-Tone Records
2022

buy

Each Step

From: Each Step
By Diego Rivera

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.