Oscar Peñas Cambray (born August 13, 1972) is a jazz bandleader and composer-guitarist. He has been living in New York since 2007.

Biography

Oscar Peñas is a composer and guitarist born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain. He is known for leading small ensembles, composing, and organic fingerpicking. Peñas began his musical journey at eight, receiving training in classical guitar. He later attended the Taller de Músics and swapped to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

while studying law at seventeen. During a visit to the USA 1997, he dropped out of law school in Barcelona and enrolled in a Professional Music program at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

. After graduating in 1999, he returned to his native Barcelona, Spain, where he led the Oscar Peñas Group (a.k.a. Astronautus). He recorded ''Astronautus'' (2003) and ''The Return of Astronautus'' (2005) with this group, both under the same label, Fresh Sound New Talent, and toured in Europe. In 2005, Peñas was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Master's degree in Music, Jazz Studies Performance at New England Conservatory. In 2007, he completed his musical education in Boston and moved to New York City. Oscar Peñas is an independent artist known for his innovative and organic style, no-flashing finger-picking. Peñas produces and arranges his music work and releases his music through his record label, Musikoz. He has received grants from Mid Atlantic USAI

021 069 is: * in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro) * in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai. * in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta and su ...

South Arts Jazz Road 022 and New York State Council on the Arts 024 which speak to his exceptional talent and dedication to his craft. In 2018, he debuted his innovative jazz-classical suite with an eight-piece ensemble at the BAM Next Wave Festival. Oscar's suite "Almadraba" receive a successful concert review for his performance at Aaron Davis Hall, City College Center for the Arts.

Discography

* ''Chicken or Pasta usikoz, 2023' features,

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, re ...

Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage ba ...

*
Almadraba
' usikoz, 2022features,

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a Cello, cellist who has reco ...

* ''Music of Departures and Returns'' usikoz, 2014features,

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984), sometimes professionally known with the stylized name of esperanza spalding, is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Aw ...

Paquito D'Rivera Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras (born 4 June 1948), known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established him ...

Gil Goldstein Gil Goldstein (born November 6, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American jazz pianist and accordionist. He has won 5 Grammy Awards and he was nominated 8 times. Biography He began studying accordion at age 5 after noticing it in The Lawrence ...

* ''From Now On'' nowiki/>Brooklyn Jazz Underground, 2011">Brooklyn_Jazz_Underground.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Brooklyn Jazz Underground">nowiki/>Brooklyn Jazz Underground, 2011features,

* ''The Return of Astronautus'' [Fresh Sound New Talent, 2005] * ''Astronautus'' [Fresh Sound New Talent, 2003]

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penas, Oscar 1972 births Living people Spanish jazz guitarists Spanish male guitarists Spanish jazz composers 21st-century Spanish guitarists 21st-century Spanish male musicians Spanish male jazz musicians