NJCU Afroloop is located at New Jersey City University New Yorkarrives in Peru to make a great musical tour through various universities in Lima y Arequipa. In Lima, there will be a collaborative meeting with Peruvian students, recruited from educational institutions associated with the NJCU, to form the All Star Peruvian Big Band, a large 20-member orchestra that will perform on Saturday, June 18 at 6 pm, in concert. in the open air, in the Parque Jesús Vásquez in San Miguel, within the framework of the San Miguel Festival of the Arts.
Last March, Tamara CunnighamNJCU Vice President for Global Initiatives, on behalf of the NJCU President, Sue Hendersonmade a first visit to Lima and Arequipa, in order to initiate agreements between the NJCU and educational institutions with the vision of a global and multicultural education for the formation of citizens capable of leading the world with wisdom, empathy, humanitarian spirit and humility. .
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“We are very interested in developing bilateral relations with Peruvian institutions. Our commitment to Peru is to generate a great access point to develop the artistic careers of Peruvians with a global vision without limits”President Sue Henderson has stated in her message.
Today NJCU’s allies include the Pontifical Catholic University, the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, the National University of Music, the San Ignacio de Loyola University, the Tempo School, and the Orson Wells Institute; and the San Pablo Catholic University, the National University of San Agustín and the Nuestra Señora de La Merced and Sagrados Corazones de Arequipa schools.
On his new visit, Tamara Cunninghman will continue promoting the implementation of international scholarships and programs with the aim of presenting as musical ambassadors, the university’s jazz group, NJCU Afroloop.
The band’s repertoire It includes Afro-Peruvian jazz rhythms such as landó, festejo, panalivio and valse. Its powerful sound is characterized by the textures created by the double bass, the vibraphone and the piano; for the power of the cajon and drums, and a front line with electric violin, trumpet and saxophone. The band’s vocalist and pianist sings in Spanish and English, with a style full of humanity and countercultural tendencies.
Members that make up the NJCU Afroloop
- Gabriel Joy, Director of Jazz Studies at the City University of New Jersey; first Peruvian to hold a position of this type in the United States, pioneer in the Afro-Peruvian jazz music movement. Gabriel is the Artistic Director of the band, he plays trumpet and flugelhorn.
- Ariacne Trujillo, piano and voice, is a member of the NJCU College of Music; world-renowned Cuban pianist, arranger and composer.
- Freddy “Huevito” cub, drawer, box & jaw. Maestro Huevito is a member of the NJCU College of Music and is recognized as the best living cajon player in the world.
- Braid Shiver, soprano and tenor saxophones; he is also a student at NJCU and one of the most sought following young saxophonists in Newark, New Jersey.
- Alonso Acosta, vibraphone; renowned Peruvian vibraphonist, pianist, arranger and composer, member of the National University of Music in Lima. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters at NJCU.
- Xavi Garcia, violin, Spanish musician; He just completed his Master’s degree at the NJCU. A virtuoso performer, he works with a diverse group of multi-style ensembles around the world.
- Daniella Laysecadouble bass, Peruvian student at NJCU.
- Jasmine de Leonfrom New Jersey, drummer for the group and a student at NJCU.
Peruvian experience in Afroloop
Daniella Layseca, Peruvian spokeswoman for Afroloop Jazz Band of NJCUcame to the United States in 2019 to pursue a jazz career. “I chose the NJCU jazz department because it is inclusive, modern, and of a high level, which has a Peruvian director, a pioneer in Afro-Peruvian jazz, Gabriel Alegría”says the Peruvian double bass player.
“The Afro-Peruvian band at the university caught my attention even before I applied. The fact that my music was played abroad and the band led by a Peruvian director filled me with pride. I auditioned, got in, and in my freshman year we toured Florida, which made me learn more than any class I’d ever taken. Afroloop became my favorite band in college.”says the Peruvian double bass player.
Layseca mentions that her Afroloop experience has helped him find his own musical voice. “It is very enriching to be able to apply my knowledge of jazz to the Afro-Peruvian rhythms that are part of my identity.”, dice.
Currently, NJCU members Afroloop they come from different parts of the world such as Cuba, the United States, Spain, and Peru, but the diversity of the band does not end there, since each one has a different musical background. This makes the band have a unique sound, accepting and celebrating different sounds and musical expressions to form a single sonority.