Press
“Rojas blends a bevy of influences without dampening the effect of any one of them....one more example of why more attention should be paid to the Vancouver music scene.”
• Dave Sunmer, Best Jazz on Bandcamp
"Some artists break the rules, others reinvent them creating an entirely new foundation to explore their muse. Guitarist Alvaro Rojas’ Music for 22 is a masterful foray into the sublime creative crevices of Jazz.”
• Michael Ambrosino, 33third.org
“His latest record, Music for 22, is full of genre-bending and collaborative adventure...Alvaro's resonator guitar playing across the album is intriguing and not to be ignored.”
• William Chernoff Rhythmchanges.ca
“Rojas is not a musician interested in repeating himself...Anything is possible from this adept axe-man”
Bio
Alvaro Rojas is a composer and guitarist based in Vancouver B.C. His work aims to create adventurous and colourful music that combines and recontextualizes the world of sound around him. His 2020 release Gran Kasa, blends jazz, chamber music, and prog rock elements with Afro-Peruvian music, and features vocals by iconic Peruvian singer Susana Baca.
His 2021 self produced release Moondog is a set of compositions by the elusive NY composer Louis Harding (aka Moondog) performed for the first time on guitar, and also adds elements of Indian and electronic music. This release was supplemented by a self published online book ofguitar arrangements of Moondog’s work.
His 2022 release Music for 22 is an original album of compositions for guitar and string quartet. Music originally written as solo guitar pieces during the covid-19 pandemic are augmented with improvising string quartet, percussion, electronic elements, and guest vocals by American R’nB artist Georgia Anne Muldrow.
His concert pieces have been performed by many of Canada’s finest new music groups, including the Turning Point Ensemble, Aventa Ensemble, Microcosmos String Quartet and others. He has scored numerous short films, podcasts and commercial videos, and performs regularly in the Lower Mainland leading his own groups, and within various local music communities.