Alvaro Cardenas Jr started playing saxophone at 14, inspired by his musician father, and quickly immersed himself in the sounds of big bands and Latin ensembles, from The Glenn Miller Big Band to Cuba’s Sonora Matancera and Colombia’s Lucho Bermudez. By 16, he was performing Salsa and northern Colombian music with various groups, while also diving into jazz through the work of legends like Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Grover Washington Jr., and Michael Brecker. Over the past twenty years, Alvaro has dedicated himself to both saxophone performance and teaching, blending his deep roots in Latin music with a lifelong passion for jazz improvisation and instrumental mastery.