This talented jazz pianist from Bilbao, Spain is one funky musician. Since age 4 he began his musical studies and has not stopped since. A child prodigy if you will and boy can he play a mean piano. I love his mix of jazz with some blues and there's funk in there as well. When I first heard about him it was 2012 and the song, A Dog Called Jazz, loved its swing and I have been a fan ever since. Juan Ortiz is also an educator and teaches master classes at certain schools. He is now based in Tokyo, Japan but flies around the world for his gigs with his trio. He has played with the best and his jazz trio includes, double bassist, Hiroshi Takase and drummer, Gene Jackson who has played with Dianne Reeves, Kevin Eubanks, Christian McBride, and Hugh Masakela. Since his debut album, Life Is Too Short in 2012 this talented musician and composer has been in demand. He has released 4 albums since then and just this month released his latest, Brighter Days. I can listen to the whole album and it's definitely on my jazz playlist. Listen to the track, Blues For the Queen with its bluesy groove that you will definitely be snapping your fingers to. We can't wait for him to tour for this new release and if he comes to your town be sure to go check him out. Support independent music and musicians worldwide. Happy listening!
Brighter Days
