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Alejandro Florez

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.

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124
Album Review

Alejandro Florez & Tibagui: Malandanza

Read "Malandanza" reviewed by Lawrence Peryer


Alejandro Florez's Tibagui exists to explore and expand upon the Andean music of the guitarist's native Colombia. Neither cumbia nor chichi, Florez's quartet use traditional folk melodies as starting points for very modern, sophisticated and engaging improvisations. The musical tradition Tibagui springs from is primarily string-based, typically a trio including the Latin bandola and tiple, as well as guitar. Here, Florez has expanded the instrumentation to include wind instruments and percussion, each of which has long had ...

347
Take Five With...

Take Five With Alejandro Florez

Read "Take Five With Alejandro Florez" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Alejandro Florez:Guitarist Alejandro Florez earned a Master's degree in Jazz Performance and Composition from the University of North Texas before moving to NYC. He now performs in various jazz and Colombian bands, and works as a composer/arranger, session player and educator. Alejandro's current projects include “Tibagui," which performs his original music; the Alejandro Florez Trio, with which he performs original jazz; the free improvisation trios “Apama" and “Torus," and the quartet “Trichrome Roach"; and the Gallo/Florez Duo, ...

248
Live Review

Music of the Americas: Live at Americas Society

Read "Music of the Americas: Live at Americas Society" reviewed by Ernest Barteldes


Guitar in the Americas Americas Society New York, NY July 7, 2009

The Mannes Guitar Summit kicked off in early July with a presentation of artists of diverse backgrounds and formations, ranging from classical music to tango, with some folk in between at the Upper East Side's Americas Society. The concert was also the beginning of the Mannes College's summer program.

The showcase started with Duo Cantabile, formed by the married couple ...

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Primary Instrument

Guitar

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.

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Malandanza

Festina Lente Discos
2011

buy

Retrato

Self Produced
0

buy

Algo Mas Melodico (Something More Melodic)

From: Malandanza
By Alejandro Florez

El Retrato (The Portrait)

From: Retrato
By Alejandro Florez

Videos

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