Biography:

Enigma of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Area music scene, Jara Ra has been seen and heard in a vast variety of musical configurations and settings since he began performing professionally in the late nineties. Jara is an extremely well-studied multi-instrumentalist, starting on the piano at age six and picking up trumpet five years later. He later studied Jazz & World Music Studies at SF State, focusing on performance and composition, and went on to earn a second degree in Sound Arts on the technical side of music and audiovisual. In addition to engineering studio sessions and AV projects, Jara performs regularly as a solo musician, and in several awesome ensembles including his own New Orleans style brass & piano project Blue Bone Express, which has been an East Bay mainstay since 2004. His piano style is fluid, dynamic, and virtuosic as he easily glides between jazz, RnB, funk, latin, rock, and various folk traditions. Jara can also be seen strolling with a vintage Italian accordion playing tangos, waltzes, and old-timey jazz. Looking toward the future, Jara is focusing on creating new fun & provocative music, exploring cosmic archetypal themes, using advanced harmonies & music making techniques.