DANILO ROJAS QUINTET + GUESTS – Album Launch

Presented by the Melbourne Jazz Co-operative, with funding assistance from Creative Australia and Music Australia.

Expatriate Bolivian pianist and composer Danilo Rojas is one of Bolivia’s most important jazz musicians, currently based in Melbourne. He launches his first album made in Australia, Cueca, recorded with both Australian and Bolivian musicians. This album explores the transition from tradition to innovation in the Bolivian Cueca, blending its traditional elements with jazz-based improvisational studies to create new compositions. The Cueca is a rich expression of Latin American culture, encompassing dance, poetry, and music. The album features an outstanding lineup comprising Al Kerr (drums), Mirko Guerrini (saxophones), Emiliano Beltzer (bass), and Salvador Pérsico (percussion), with special guests Anthony Schulz (accordion) and Claudia Aparicio (improvisational dancer). Danilo’s creative work reflects his cultural identity, shaped by his life in Melbourne during his family’s settlement in Australia. He is also the son of the acclaimed Gilberto Rojas, a celebrated composer of 20th-century Bolivian popular music. In 2014, Danilo was awarded the National Culture Prize “Nilo Soruco” in Bolivia and was honoured by the Bolivian Parliament in 2009 for his remarkable 22-year career. He is also the owner of Crescendo Music School in Williamstown, and holds a Master’s degree in Jazz.