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 to Blues to Rock to 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 B.M. 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, Michael Royal, Hot Sun Quartet, Buster Cooper, The Mars Trio, The Freetime Trio, Denise Moore and Then Some, The Don Juceam Orchestra, Stan Hunter, Tahuantinsuyo, Modern Guitar Quintet, O Som Do Jazz and many more.
He has successfully made Tampa Bay his home with the help of his amazing wife Lindsay, a wall-eating schnoodle named Stella, his extremely supportive family and in-laws and a Green Card that he probably got by accident. When not playing music, he spends his days having paranoid thoughts of deportation that he manages to quiet down by listening to Hector Lavoe, Miles Davis and Slayer… simultaneously.
Enjoy the music!
Luis! Que pasa, hombre? I'm sorry I couldn't make the gig on the 4th...hope it went well. we need to play again sometime dude. LONG LIVE THE BINGHIS!!!!
