Living in Peru : your everyday companion

When he moved to Lima from San Diego, California in 2005 he quickly became the most sought after bassist in the country and has developed into the first German bass player specialist of Afro-Peruvian music. As such, he works with some of the most important exponents of that style including trumpeter Gabriel Alegria whom he accompanied on a US Tour in the winter of 2006. This collaboration also generated a CD with guest artists Bobby Shew and Russ Ferrante, which will be released at the end of 2006.

Oetz is at home on stages around the world and has worked with artists such as Michael Brecker, Dave Liebmann, Barre Phillips, Don Byron, George Lewis, Mark Levine, Anthony Davis, Hayden Chisholm, Jochen Ruckert, Nils Wogram, Hans Fjellestad, Marcos Fernandes, Rajesh Meta, Steve Noble and classical ensembles such as the La Jolla Symphony and SONOR of San Diego, CA.

Oetz has published three CDs under his own name so far: "The Loonators" (2000) with his German based quartet featuring Niels Klein, Nils Tegen and Christian Thome; "Vieles ist Eins" (many is one, 2002), solos and duos with Barre Phillips, Andreas Wagner and Greg Stuart; and Permanent Flow (2005) with his German/North American trio that inlcludes musicians Andreas Wagner and Greg Stuart.

Oetz studied Jazz with Dieter Manderscheid and Bill Dobbins at the Cologne Music Academy and in 2000 received a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange service (DAAD) to study contemporary Art Music with Bertram Turetzky and George Lewis at the University of California in San Diego, California.

Besides his busy schedule as a performer he also is currently working as a jazz educator at various schools in Lima. He is director of la Orquesta Juvenil de Música Nueva of the Asociación Internacional Jazz Perú. He has worked as a professor at Miramar and Cuyamaca Colleges in San Diego and the Offene Jazz Haus Schule in Cologne.

In 2005 he founded the "Joscha Oetz Sexteto" which unites the hottest young talent of Lima´s thriving Jazz scene. The compositions that oscillate between frantically electrifying up-tempo, laid-back math-funk and relaxed Peruvian Landó, topped with moody jazz harmonies and polyrhythmic madness reflect the multitude of roots that make this music so unique.

Peru 's original percussion instrument, the Cajon plus two guitars, sax and drum'n'bass are integrated in an original concept that combines thoughtful compositions and the personal contributions of all band members.

The band has extensively played Lima 's club circuit and took part in the XVI. edition of the International Lima Jazz Festival in April 2006. In July 2006 they recorded their debut CD Universo Urbanico, which is due for release at the end of 2006.

Joscha Oetz - contrabass, composition , Rafael "Fusa" Miranda, Abel Garcia- saxophones, Alec Marambio, Diego Salvador - guitars, Laura Robles - percussion, and Hugo Ortiz behind the drums will peform live at the Jazz Zone in Lima's district of Miraflores on Tuesday night (Dec. 5, 2006, 10:00 p.m.), as part of Lima's 4th Jazz Fest 2006.

>> check for more info in our Event Calendar <<

Please also visit Joscha's website at "www.joschaoetz.com"

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2 Comments

# Lutz Oliver Klüppel says :
7 December, 2006 [ 10:03 ]

# Cookita Ibarra says :
19 July, 2007 [ 05:23 ]

Ijust found out about this german, latin, afro jazz musician that lives in our beautiful country and can interact with all this musical young blood we have in Peru, I can't wait to go home and order his CD, I lived in San Diego for many years and had the oportunity to see many well known jazz musicians perform there, I love jazz, its a good place to come from. I don't live in San Diego or in Lima any more for that matter but I can see why Joscha would decide to stay in Peru and fusion all this music together...

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