Pianist, composer, and arranger Walter Gorra was introduced to jazz through a summer camp at Jazz Aspen Snowmass.

Delving into jazz pushed Walter to write his own music.

“I think it’s really important as a developing musician to write your own music and come up with something new and fresh that’s yours,” Walter said. “[Composing] helps me play better, it helps me improvise better.”

Born to a Cuban father and Honduran mother, Walter has been heavily influenced by Latin music.

“I’m always trying to figure out the next place we can go with blending Cuban music, Brazilian music, and the music of South America with American Jazz,” Walter said. “Being true to both places and being true to both traditions is not an easy thing to do.”

“But if you can do it well, it sounds absolutely beautiful.”

No stranger to KUVO, Walter’s sextet performed a live-on air performance with 15-time Grammy Award winner Paquito D’Rivera last year. The Walter Gorra Trio also provided live jazz at KUVO’s 30th Birthday Open House

To celebrate 30 years on the air and invest in the future of jazz, KUVO interviewed 30 local musicians under the age of 30. These features will be released on-air and online June 29-October 31.

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LISTENJust ThinkingJazongoAdentro y AfueraThe Things I’ve Been Given

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https://youtu.be/o9i3Vq1uK0E 

https://youtu.be/JQn8cyIbKPc?list=PLd8ixkL70FrC3V-1oksI1PjA8ceaRS0Ss

MORE 30 UNDER 30 FEATURES

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