Eliseo and his Latin Jazz with special guests

Born on New Year's Eve 1958 in Ponce Puerto Rico, Eliseo decided to be a musician. Both of his sisters played the piano and his uncle also was a musician and use to make and repair musical instruments and clocks . His cousin was an accomplished bass player who often coached Eliseo. "I grew up running around my parent's backyard watching my uncle and his friends playing and singing boleros and drinking rum". Encouraged by his family, specially his father to pursue a serious career in music, so Eliseo enrolled at the “Escuela Libre de Musica" in Ponce P.R. (his home town) and he started studying solfege with Emilio Alvarado. There was a problem, the school did not have a "bass-guitar" program, they taught only upright bass. "When I talked to the bass teacher and explained that I played bass-guitar, he did not let me start on the class, I could not afford an upright bass at that time, so I took a trombone class because it's read in bass clef just like the bass. Eliseo's big chance showed up when a local band lost their bass player to college. "The bass player offered me a bass, an amp and the gig for $300.00 dollars which I could pay back in $50.00 installments. How could I refuse?. That's when I quit music school and started my professional career. I was fourteen.” Later on in high school Eliseo joined "Grupo Vocal De Escuela Dr. Pila in Ponce P.R.. The group played festivals and competitions while Eliseo kept working outside school with local bands. "It was an interesting time because I use to go to places that I would not be allowed to go today (at 14 yrs. old)." Eliseo started studying music again. Taking private lessons from Emilio Alvarado, then a year at Universidad Interamericana, and another year at El Conservatorio de Música de P.R.. "I started studying but could not finish because every time I enrolled school somebody would call me for a tour which I could not turn down. First Ednita Nazario (1983 Mexico, Panamá and U.S. tours) then Wilkins (1984 Dominican Republic and many gigs in P.R.) then Menudo (1985 Brasil and U.S.)". Eliseo left P.R. in 1986 to play at the Hilton Miami Beach with The Kenny Hamilton Band. In 1987 He got a call for a gig in L.A.." It was the chance I was waiting for, the gig didn't pay a lot but it was a start. I wanted to be in a big city with other musicians". Encouraged by a friend from Ponce, (Alberto Mirabal) who also came to L.A. in 1987, Eliseo went to Musicians Institute in Hollywood and graduated with honors. "That year was tuff because I was playing outside school and teaching at the same time. I got in touch with Robbie Rosa from Menudo who was starting his solo career and we went to Manila Philipines for 2 weeks. I was also playing Greek music 5 nights a week". After graduating Eliseo kept playing in L.A. and has worked with artists such as Strunz and Farah, Dave Samuells, Vickie Carr, Juan Gabriel, Ruben Blades and others. He has been going back to P.R. to play and record with different bands including Papo Lucca y La Sonora Ponceña. Eliseo recorded a bass solo on "Back To The Road" from Sonora Ponceña. In 2010 he recorded the sound track for "Knight and Day" motion picture with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on Double Bass. Eliseo has released 3 independent CD's Amanecer Caribeño, The Prophecy, Baladas, and 3 singles available at CD Baby.com. Eliseo lives in L.A. California and just graduated from the Bachelor Program of CSCM at Shepherd University, he works with his own band and as a sideman with some of the best bands in L.A. Other credits include Dave Samuels, Vicky Carr, Juan Gabriel, Andy Montañez, Menudo etc. That's my short bio, the band was born in Ponce when I moved back from L.A., and when I started "Sureño Jam" and found Erick Perez and Jean Lou Treboux.