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Only a handful of people have had the unique experience of hearing Jaared Arosemena hold a single note for 40 seconds, all the more remarkable a feat because of the chronic asthma he suffered from as a child. When he was six, a doctor advised that he learn a wind instrument to help strengthen his lungs, and from then on, music was his life. "I listened to a lot of great sax players when I was growing up, but never took it seriously as a possible career path for myself until I heard David Sanborn play," he says. "I knew then it was my calling. I need it like I need air and water to survive." Jaared is currently a spokesperson for the American Lung Association of the District of Columbia.
Jaared, a native of the Washington, DC area, did his share of straight jobs for years while pursuing his passion, and built a huge following in the D.C. region with his eight piece superband of local heroes called the "Jaared Arosemena All-Star Group." With this group, or later as a solo performer, Jaared opened for numerous artists familiar to smooth jazz and adult contemporary music fans everywhere—Bobby Caldwell, Fattburger, Spyro Gyra, Norman Brown and Oleta Adams. In addition, he has co-headlined with Boney James, Joe Sample, Alfonso Blackwell, Craig T. Cooper, Chuck Loeb, The "Heads Up Superband" (featuring Kenny Blake, Joe McBride and Gerald Veasley), Slim Man, Brian Culbertson and the late George Howard. He has also had the honor of sharing the stage with legendary performers Wilson Pickett and Stevie Wonder.
Jaared was touring with Maysa (lead singer of the international soul jazz band Incognito) in 1995 when he realized it was time to devote himself to a solo career. He began working on demo recordings and created a video of his performance of "Hey Jude" at a local club date, which later made the semi-finals on BET on Jazz's "Jazz Discovery" show in 1998. This video and a subsequent demo with a handful of cover tunes caught the attention of Marcus Johnson, who was about to launch Marimelj Entertainment.
Jaared likes to describe the vibe of Foreward, his hit CD that took the smooth jazz world by storm upon its release in the Spring of 2000, as "the next factor." It was all about a soulful cool, a mid-tempo metropolitan smooth style, heavy on the urban saxophone seduction. Its first single "Loves Taken Over" was the number one most added tune the week it came out (according to Radio & Records and the Gavin charts) and hit #5 in Japan and #1 in England. The Washington D.C. native's inevitable splash onto Billboard's contemporary jazz chart helped establish him as a top new artist in the genre, which culminated in his nomination for Best New Artist at the 3rd Annual National Smooth Jazz Awards and an unforgettable live performance at the awards ceremony in March of 2002.
This past year, Jaared has been doing numerous Midwest and East Coast dates with guitarist Peter White, who met the saxophonist at the awards show after admiring his powerful performance. This joyful collaboration is reflected on "Happy Times," a spirited light funk gem from Jaared's new Marimelj Entertainment release Hang Time. Jaared's long anticipated CD carries the cool vibe of his debut to deep extremes, while also showing a richer diversity in the veteran saxman's artistry. Overall, the grooves are chunkier, the tempos more "up" and the feeling very vibrant, "a full realization of the direction I'm headed," says Jaared.
"Everything came together with Marimelj to start my solo career, and it's been an amazing experience so far," he continues. "I'm really a people person, and I have really enjoyed being able to perform for people in so many different places, especially when they're enjoying my own material. One of my favorite sayings someone once told me is, ‘A bad day playing music is better than a good day in the office.' I love making music and feel fortunate to be able to pursue the one thing I believe God put me here to do."
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