Alejandro Arenas was born in Medellin, Colombia where he started his musical career playing flamenco and classical guitar. He picked up the bass while he attended the Colegio Andino/Deutsche Schule in Bogota where he performed in the Salsa and Andean Music ensembles as well as the school's orchestra. During his high school years he performed with different independent bands with styles ranging from salsa, blues, rock and heavy metal. Upon graduating high school he moved to Gainesville, FL. There he worked as a freelance musician while being exposed to different genres such as reggae, jazz and funk. He earned an A.A in Music Studies from Santa Fe Community College where he worked unpacking books in the morning, studying during the day and playing gigs by night. In the midst of this chaotic time in his life he developed a deep love for jazz which drove him to learn to play the upright bass and to get a Bachelors of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of South Florida. During his studies at USF he toured Italy and France with the Jazz Ensemble 1 and the Jazztet performing at different jazz festivals such as Umbria and Juan Les Pines. He also had the opportunity to perform alongside internationally recognized jazz musicians such as Conrad Herwig, Randy Brecker, Tim Armacost and Wycliffe Gordon. He currently works as a freelance musician in the Tampa Bay area performing with different artists including Kym Purling, Joanna Rose, Jack Wilkins, Steve Davis, Michael Royal, Hot Sun Quartet, Buster Cooper, The Mars Trio, The Freetime Trio, Denise Moore and Then Some, The Don Juceam Orchestra, Stan Hunter, Modern Guitar Quintet, O Som Do Jazz, and many more.
= Alejandro Arenas has added information specific to this course.
(syllabus, video, class meeting times, etc.)| 0470 Summer Term 2013 | |||||
| Course | Section | Campus | Format | Starts | Ends |
MVS 1317 CONTEMPORARY BASS TECHNIQUES I
| 1026 | SPG | In Class | May 13 2013 | Jul 19 2013 |
| 0465 Spring Term 2013 | |||||
| Course | Section | Campus | Format | Starts | Ends |
|
MUN 1032 ROCK ENSEMBLE II
| 4632 | SPG | In Class | Jan 7 2013 | May 3 2013 |
|
MUN 1718 RHYTHM & BLUES ENSEMBLE
| 2092 | SPG | In Class | Jan 7 2013 | May 3 2013 |
|
MUN 2719 RHYTHM AND BLUES ENSEMBLE II
| 3156 | SPG | In Class | Jan 7 2013 | May 3 2013 |
|
MVS 1317 CONTEMPORARY BASS TECHNIQUES I
| 2167 | SPG | In Class | Jan 7 2013 | May 3 2013 |
|
MVS 2328 CONTEMPORARY GUITAR TECHNIQUES II
| 5282 | SPG | In Class | Jan 7 2013 | May 3 2013 |
