Juan Pablo Jofre (also known as J.P. Jofre) (born 1983) is an Argentinian musician, composer, and arranger. He plays the bandoneon.

Life

J.P. Jofre was raised in

San Juan, Argentina San Juan () is the capital and largest city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the San Juan River, at above mean sea level, with a population of around 112,000 as per the (over ...

. He attended San Juan's Escuela de Música. He primarily was a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

, and also studied the vibraphone,

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

, piano, singing and double bass. He played in a heavy metal band. When he was seventeen, his uncle played a record for him by Astor Piazzolla and Jofre fell in love with the sound and style of the bandoneon. In 2002 or 2003, he relocated to New York City with his mother and brother. His brother, who is deaf, struggled to find decent education in Argentina, but succeeded in finding it in New York, hence the relocation. He lives and works in Harlem in New York City.

Career

Upon learning the bandoneon, he was overwhelmed by how complex the instrument was. He used a piano to figure out the keys played by the bandoneon buttons, and read books. He eventually took lessons from

Daniel Binelli Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

. Jofre also started studying in Buenos Aires. He would take the bus for sixteen hours, twice a month, to take classes from

Julio Pane Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) *Julio (surname) *Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...

. Jofre also composes his own music and has been called a "creative composer" by Paquito D'Rivera. His compositions range in genre and sound including jazz and pieces for string orchestras. In March, 2014, he debuted his Bandoneon Concerto with the

Symphony Silicon Valley Symphony Silicon Valley is the professional symphony orchestra of San Jose and the South Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 2002 following the demise of the San Jose Symphony, the orchestra debuted to rave reviews and standing ...

in San Jose, California. He has performed on '' Rosie Live''. In July 2017, he performed in Minneapolis in the Mill City Summer Opera production of Ástor Piazzolla's "tango operita" ''María de Buenos Aires''.

''Hard Tango''

His debut album, ''Hard Tango,'' was released in 2012. The album includes original compositions by Jofre, and is described as "classical-tango hybrid," by '' The New York Times''. The album also features works by Astor Piazzolla, Fernando Otero, Leo Brouwer, and '' I Am the Walrus'' by John Lennon.

Discography

*''Hard Tango'', 2012, Round Star *''Be Like Water'', *''Manifesto'',

References

External links

"El bandoneón, mucho más que un instrumento para el argentino Juan Pablo Jofre"

"From Solemn To Sizzling With JP Jofre and the Hard Tango Chamber Band""J.P. Jofre"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jofre, Juan Pablo 1983 births Living people People from San Juan, Argentina Argentine tango musicians People from Harlem