Tomas Peña - Music Journalist

delapena2911@aol.com

Jazz is an inclusive art-form that encompasses a vast array of musical genres: Afro Cuban jazz, Brazilian jazz, Flamenco jazz, Bomba jazz, Iberian jazz Native American Jazz, South African jazz and Bomba jazz, to name a few. It is this versatility that inspires Tomas Peña's dedication and focus. He is a journalist, chronicler, and an educator whose "mission" is to broaden the public's understanding of music as a universal language and an agent for social change.

Tomas has dedicated the past twenty years to expanding his knowledge of jazz and World Music through independent study, field work, and more recently, as the Co-Editor of Latin Jazz Network. Essentially, the Network (www.latinjazznet.com) is a labor of love that seeks to share its passion for the genre through the use of artist profiles, interviews, CD and performance reviews, feature articles, music news and an extensive archive of reference materials.

His first feature article, "William Cepeda, His Roots and Beyond," was published by Latin Jazz Network in 2000. Tomas quickly expanded his coverage to covering the New York scene via record release events, panel discussions, lectures, jazz festivals and movie premieres. In 2002, Editor Danilo Navas, awarded Tomas the position of Co-Editor. In this capacity, he is responsible for editing content, communicating with musicians, managers, promoters, club-owners, record companies and staying abreast of the New York music scene. More recently, Tomas' writing has taken on an international focus. He recently conducted research on the jazz scene while in South Africa and reported his findings in the article, "My Journey to South Africa."

Tomas Peña has an affinity for artists on the rise. His ability to grasp and convey the creative process and intent of new talent is driven by his firm belief that, up-and-coming artists are the catalyst and future of the genre. He has interviewed such up-and-coming artists as saxophonist Miguel Zenón, who recently received wide acclaim for his CD, "Looking Forward," (Fresh Sounds). In addition, Tomas has introduced such artists as percussionist Arturo Stable and Cuban vocalist Jessie Marquez and promoted many artists, which include Dafnis Prieto, pianist Omar Sosa, pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist Ben Lapidus (and Sonido Isleño), trumpet player Tony Lujan and saxophonist/percussionist Hilary Noble. In addition, he has promoted Paquito D'Rivera's 50th Anniversary at Carnegie Hall.

Tomas is a graduate of Empire State College (New York) and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism/Latin American Culture. He is a member in good standing of the International Association of Jazz Educators; the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Jazz Journalists Association and is a former member of the Advisory Board for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark, NJ). He is also a contributing writer for the following web-based publications: www.allaboutjazz.com, www.latinjazzalive.org, www.mundoafrolatino.org, www.latinjazzclub.com, www.anapapaya.com,  and www.vinilemania.net.

Tomas is currently preparing to embark on a career as an author. He is currently conducting preliminary research for his first book. As always, Tomas' mission is to educate the public and find new and creative ways to introduce music to new audiences.

TOMAS' REVIEWS / INTERVIEWS