Oscar Peñas

Oscar Peñas

BAM performance on Sep. 6, 2012 photo by Zulema Mejias
Background information
Birth name Oscar Peñas Cambray
Born (1972-08-13) August 13, 1972
Barcelona, Spain
Genres Jazz, Crossover jazz, European Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician, Composer
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1994–present
Labels Fresh Sound New Talent, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records, Musikoz
Website www.oscarpenas.com

Oscar Peñas Cambray (born August 13, 1972, Barcelona, Spain) is a Catalan-born jazz guitarist and composer, now an American citizen living in New York City.[1]

Biography

Oscar Peñas is a Catalan-American guitarist born in Barcelona, Spain. In 2007, after completing his musical education at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Peñas moved to New York City. As a child, Oscar was inspired by his ongoing family's tradition of singing and playing music during their car trips. His maternal grandfather played trumpet professionally in the Orquesta Gran Gala and occasionally with Xavier Cugat's band during his European tours.

After he received his first guitar at the age of five years on Epiphany’s Day, Peñas began private classical guitar lessons at age nine with Javier Olondo. At seventeen, he discovered the jazz world, a fascination which altered his desired musical path and prompted him to sign up at the Taller de Músics in Barcelona. There, his most notable professor and friend was Vicenç Solsona. He also studied with the late Sean Leavitt and Horacio Fumero, among others. From this time on, Peñas' career was clear: he was going to be a jazz musician.

In 1997 he enrolled at Berklee College of Music,[2] where he studied with influential professors such as Luciana Souza, Mick Goodrick and Jon Damian. Peñas graduated cum laude, in 1999 and returned to his home city Barcelona to become a professor at the Taller de Músics from 2000 to 2005. At the same time, he led the Oscar Peñas Group aka Astronautus. With this group, he recorded two albums: Astronautus (2003) and The Return of Astronautus (2005), both with the label Fresh Sound New Talent,[3] and performed throughout Spain. In 2005 Peñas was awarded with a scholarship and decided to earn his Masters in Jazz Studies at the New England Conservatory. There, Peñas had the invaluable opportunity to study with professors such as Charlie Banacos, Danilo Perez, and Frank Carlberg, before graduating in 2007.

Afterwards, Peñas moved to New York City, where he currently lives, performs, and teaches at the 92Y School of Music. In November, 2011, Oscar Peñas self-produced and released his third album and first US release From Now On BJURecords[4] with the addition of special guest Gil Goldstein.

Music of Departures and Returns (2014)[5] is Oscar's fourth album and his second recording in the USA, self-released under his own record label Musikoz. The album, a collection of versatile tunes, features collaborations with three Grammy winners and friends: Gil Goldstein,[6] Paquito D' Rivera[7] and Esperanza Spalding.[8]

Oscar has toured in Spain, France, Cuba and Colombia.

Style

Oscar style changed from play traditional swinging[9] after Cecil Taylor[10] advised him to incorporate music of his own cultural heritage. At that moment, he used Cecil's critique wisely in his elaborated improvisational savoir faire creativity, earning the respect of others as creating a soulful style that can best be described as transnational cool by Alana Harper,[11] Many of Peñas’ compositions are guitar-driven and could be played as solo pieces. His musical approach develops with every new collaboration he engages. Also, his interest in different musical expressions and styles, not limited to any particular genres or labels, guide his goal to connect with others who love and enjoy music. Oscar Peñas plays mostly his originals, which demonstrate his own personality, a difficult attribute to achieve these days.

Awards

2014, 2013 and 2012 ASCAP Plus awardee: The ASCAP[12] Plus Awards program provides cash and recognition to writers who create music with a value beyond the scope of performance surveys. Peñas was awarded finalist for his original song “Paquito’s Choro″ in the 19th Annual USA Songwriting Competition (2014). Also, He is one of the nominees for the 14th Independent Music Awards (The IMAS) in the category, Song, Jazz Instrumental for his original “Paquito’s Choro”.

Discography

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=39945#.ULkOr6W4Iy8
  2. ↑ https://www.berklee.edu
  3. ↑ http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/fresh_sound_new_talent-rl-1.html
  4. ↑ http://www.bjurecords.com/oscar-penas/
  5. ↑ http://jazztimes.com/community/articles/135986-oscar-pe-as
  6. ↑ http://www.gilgoldstein.us
  7. ↑ http://www.paquitodrivera.com
  8. ↑ Esperanza Spalding
  9. ↑ Jazz
  10. ↑ Cecil Taylor
  11. ↑ http://soundcheck.wnyc.org/articles/music-hub/2010/jan/08/gig-alerts-oscar-penas-quartet
  12. ↑ http://www.ascap.com/
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