Alejandro Florez

STATS Rank: 2,853 Fans: 1 Views: 6,194

Born: May 12, 1979 Primary Instrument: Guitar

A Native of Bogotá, Colombia, Alejandro came to the United States to study music at the University of North Texas. While pursuing his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Jazz Studies, he had the opportunity to play with faculty members Fred Hamilton and Stefan Karlsson and study composition with professors John Mallia and Cindy McTee. In addition, he was a Teaching Fellow in the UNT Jazz program. Over the course of his five years in Texas, he received private lessons from John Stowell and Ben Monder. After graduating in the summer of 2005 he moved to New York City, where he works as a guitarist, teacher and composer. He is also active in the jazz and urban music scene in Colombia, performing regularly at local venues and festivals in his country of origin. His current projects include “Tibagui,” which performs original music based on Colombian rhythms from the Andes; the Alejandro Florez Trio, on which he perfomrs original Colombian jazz; the free improvisation trios “Apama” and “Torus;” and the Gallo/Flórez Duo, a group that explores the traditional music of the Colombian Andes. He also perfoms regularly with Cumbiamba eNeYe, Pablo Mayor Folklore Urbano and others.

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About his group Tibagui:

Tibagui Trio, a group developed in New York by guitarist and composer Alejandro Flórez, started out as a project to perform the subtle, expressive music written for the Colombian guitar trio. The ensemble of bandola (relative of the mandolin), tiple (resembling the Cuban tres) and guitar has been for many generations the standard of the music in the Andes of Colombia. Bambuco, guabina, pasillo, danza and marcha are some of the danceable grooves played in the country’s mountainous regions. The music of Tibagui is directly related to this rich legacy made up of Indigenous, African and European elements.

Tibagui is now redeﬁning its musical heritage. In its expanded version, the group features the three guitars alongside the sophisticated sounds of clarinet, ﬂute, double bass and percussion. The group performs an all-original repertoire made up of reﬁned compositions, most of which include improvisation as a fundamental element. The band members, well- versed in jazz and different Latin American genres, bring together their experiences to tell an exciting story of tradition and innovation.

Tibagui's Retrato will be available shortly on CD Baby. In the mean time, you can sample audio from the album at www.alejandroflorez.com or by clicking on the CD image at the top of the profile.

Last Updated: December 22, 2011

Primary Instrument:
Guitar

Location:
Jackson Heights, NY

Credentials/Background:
I teach students of all ages and levels. Rates and hours per request (very reasonable!).

About me:
I have been a guitar and bass teacher for more than 8 years, and I've had the great opportunity of teaching students of all backgrounds, ages and levels of expertise.

I recognize that each person is different, has a particular taste, and, most importantly, has a way of learning that is unique and must be addressed individually. As a teacher I am very encouraging. I challenge my students' talents and skills and offer them the highest quality instruction catered to their musical preferences.

I can teach mainly Jazz, Classical, and Rock. I've also taught Blues, Pop, R&B, Funk, Heavy Metal, Fusion, Folk, Latin. As far as music theory, I have experience teaching harmony, ear training, songwriting, arranging, orchestration, as well as jazz history and general music History.

Availability:
All of Manhattan (Downtown, Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, East Village, Chelsea, Lower East Side, etc. Pretty much anywhere, from Downtown to Inwood);
All of Queens (Astoria, Long Island City, Woodside, Sunnyside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Rego Park, Middle Village, Floral Park, Corona, Flushing);
Parts of Brooklyn (information per request).

Major Influences:
Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, Joe Pass, Ben Monder, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Williams, Andres Segovia, J.S. Bach, Leo Brower, Agustin Barrios, Antonio Lauro, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Hendrix, Metallica, B.B. King, Steve Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Joe Satriani, Jethro Tull, Gipsy Kings, Flamenco Music, Guns n' Roses, The Eagles, Eddie Van Halen, and many, many others

Experience:
Private Music Instructor (guitar, bass and beginning piano) in the New York area, including Manhattan, Queens, Long Island and Westchester County, as well as in my private studio. [06/2005 - Present]

Teaching Fellow for the Jazz Guitar Program, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. Duties included teaching private guitar lessons, and assisting UNT Jazz Guitar Professor, Fred Hamilton, in the instruction of master classes. [08/2004 - 05/2005]

Director of the L-5 guitar ensemble, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. Duties included rehearsal preparation and conducting; performance scheduling and logistics; arranging and writing music for the ensemble; as well as other related tasks. [08/2004 - 05/2005]

Guitar Instructor for the Community Music Program at the University of North Texas, teaching students of all ages and proficiency levels. [01/2004 - 05/2005]

Education:
Master's of Music in Jazz Studies (MM), University of North Texas [2005]
Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies (BM), University of North Texas [2003]
Music Degree, with an emphasis on Classical Guitar (BM), Javeriana University, Bogota, Colombia [2000]

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