Roland Vazquez

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Roland Vazquez
Born (1951-07-04) July 4, 1951 (age 74)
Pasadena, California, U.S.
GenresJazz, Afro-Latin jazz, Latin jazz
Occupation(s)Composer, drummer, educator
InstrumentDrums
Years active1970s–present
LabelsArista/GRP, independent

Roland Vazquez (born July 4, 1951) is an American jazz composer, drummer, and educator. His work combines elements of Afro-Latin rhythms, jazz, and big band arrangements. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Vazquez was born in Pasadena, California. He began playing drums in the early 1960s and performed with R&B and rock groups in Los Angeles during the 1970s. He later studied at Westminster College in Utah and earned a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1985. [2] [3] He is the nephew of Richard Vasquez, bestselling author of "Chicano."

Career

In 1977, Vazquez received a Jazz Performance Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which supported his recording Urban Ensemble – The Music of Roland Vazquez (1979). From 1978 to 1981, he performed with Clare Fischer’s group Salsa Picante, appearing on the Grammy-winning album Salsa Picante 2+2. [2] [3] In 2009, Vazquez won a Copland Fund Grant for Afro-Latin Jazz.

He has released several albums as a bandleader, including Feel Your Dream (1982), The Tides of Time (1988), Further Dance (1997), and The Visitor (2010). His compositions have been performed by small ensembles and large jazz orchestras, and he has occasionally led his own big band. [4] [5] Many jazz luminaries have recorded with him such as Anthony Jackson, Walt Weiskopf, Patrice Rushen, Bennie Maupin, Mark Soskin and Alex Acuña . Vazquez arranged the horns on Peter Cetera' s self-titled 1981 debut album.

Vazquez has also composed for chamber and orchestral ensembles, including Ghost in the Mountain (2000) and a percussion concerto for Christopher Lamb of the New York Philharmonic. [3] [6]

Teaching career

Vazquez taught at the Manhattan School of Music from 1988 to 1999, where he founded the Latin Jazz Big Band. From 2000 to 2005, he was a faculty member at the University of Michigan, directing jazz and Afro-Latin ensembles. He has also been affiliated with Bard College as Artist in Residence and has served as a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome. [2] [7] [8]

Reception

Vazquez’s recordings have been covered by jazz publications such as DownBeat and JazzTimes . [1] [9]

JazzTimes described Further Dance as “engaging.” [1] DownBeat noted the “precision” and orchestration of The Visitor. [4] [9]

Selected discography

References

  1. 1 2 3 Grey, Hilarie (2019-04-26). "Roland Vazquez: Further Dance". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  2. 1 2 3 4 College, Bard. "Roland Vazquez". www.bard.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hitchcock, Paul (2019-07-03). "Roland Vazquez". Morehead State Public Radio | WMKY. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  4. 1 2 3 The Visitor - Roland Vazquez | Album | AllMusic , retrieved 2025-10-08
  5. ↑ "1981 Roland Vazquez – Feel Your Dream – Sessiondays" . Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  6. ↑ Stabile, Nicholas C. (2014-08-05). "Roland Vazquez Residency". Department of Performing Arts. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  7. ↑ Jazz, All About (2010-06-10). "Jazz news: Composer/Bandleader Roland Vazquez Proudly Announces the Release of Roland Vazquez Band: The Visitor". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  8. ↑ https://regents.umich.edu/files/meetings/07-05/2005-07-V-1.pdf
  9. 1 2 https://www.downbeat.com/digitaledition/2010/DB201012/_art/DB201012.pdf
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