Truly one of the world's premier bandoneonists, Raúl Jaurena is a musical director, arranger, and composer as well as a musician, and though he was born in and frequently travels to Uruguay, he calls New York City home. For many years, he served as Musical Director of tango productions at the Thalia Spanish Theatre in Sunnyside, New York, where many of his own productions were staged. His recording catalog is brief yet notably includes the Latin Grammy Award-winning album Te Amo Tango (2007). In terms of influence, a performance alongside Astor Piazzolla at the Montreal Jazz Festival inspired him to adopt the master's nuevo tango approach. ~ Jason Birchmeier