MJR Latin Project with Mauricio Rodriquez - MNJC

Mauricio J Rodriguez, a well-known Cuban bass player and composer, created the MJR Latin Project. The band is composed of some of the finest musicians in the Tampa Bay area featuring Grammy winning saxophonist, Zach Bornheimer; pianist Pablo Arencibia; drummer Andy Fornet; percussionist Carlos Javier Navarro and Rodriguez on bass. This band revives the Latin jazz scene with original compositions pleasing the most demanding spectators with its intricate fusion of Latin rhythms and momentary flashbacks to the Latin greats of musical history. The richness of the Latin flavor and modern compositional elements create a complex Latin rhythmical approach.

Born in Camaguey, Cuba, in 1960, Mauricio J. Rodriguez is one of his generation’s most influential bass players in Cuba. He started his studies at the age of 13 in the Provincial School of Art de Camaguey and graduated from the Center of Professional and Artistic Development in Camaguey. His professors include Silvio Vergara, Orestes Urfé, Rafael Lay, and Armando Romeo, who were important figures in the historical development of Cuban music.Influenced by the musical movements of the 70s and 80s, he had the opportunity to play different styles of music, from classical to jazz.

In 2001 he moved to the USA, where his performance was well received in the music community, inviting him to perform with different bands and ensembles, Guisando Caliente, Trilogy Latin Jazz Trio, and Adrianna Foster’s band, to name a few. Currently, he is at Saint Leo University as an Adjunct professor of music. His degrees include two Master of Music Performance, one from Cuba and the another from the University of South Florida, and studies at the University of Miami in Jazz Studio Writing.

Host or Publisher Jazz Club of Sarasota