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From the basement to the Montréal Jazz Festival: Guitarist Carlos Jiménez' self-taught road to success

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On his latest album Undercurrents, guitarist Carlos Jiménez exhibits the cool self-confidence and keen precision of an artist at the top of his game, about as far as it gets from the kid who used to practice in his parents' basement.

But every musician has to begin somewhere, and for Jiménez those tireless moments underground provided the key to his command of the instrument. “I'm initially self-taught," he revealed. “I would spend about seven hours a day in my parents' basement practicing, learning songs, solos, riffs, scales, chords, etc. I was 14-years-old." By the time he was 19, Jiménez decided “music was it for me and I moved to Montreal to attend music school. I had no formal training so I started from scratch learning theory and classical guitar for three years. Then at night I would go to jazz clubs and study even harder."

That Jiménez decided to pursue music wasn't a shocking revelation considering that it enveloped his childhood. “I grew up surrounded by all kinds of music. My parents weren't musicians but they loved music and there was music every day in the house. I guess that started it," he said. “I remember feeling the need of music as far as grade school. I've always considered myself first a music lover and then a musician. Then, of course, seeing live music for the first time was huge. It was probably a rock show, and it made me pick up the guitar. When I got into jazz, the concerts were definitely what fueled my interest in becoming a musician. I knew I wanted to be part of that world."

And that world has welcomed Jiménez with open arms. Jiménez has performed with some of the most notable figures in Canadian jazz and has played at the Montréal Jazz Festival, the largest in the world according to Guinness World Records. As a kid, music always meant fun times. Now it's different because I live it 24/7," Jiménez revealed. “But it's still very inspiring."

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