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The Camelia Latinjazz Band is based in Cambridge MA and its style can be best described as: instrumental Latin rhythms with jazz solos.

The group has added jazz improvisation not only to the salsa rhythm (which is more common), but also to the merengue, cumbia, bachata and bolero, creating this way what they call: “salsajazz”, “merenguejazz”, “cumbiajazz”, “bachatajazz” and “bolerojazz”.

The bolerojazz and bachatajazz are focused on when a more mellow type of atmosphere is needed or wanted (for example as background music), while for more lively occasions the salsajazz and merenguejazz are emphasized.

The group exists as a trio (3-piece), quartet (4-piece), quintet (5-piece) and sextet (6-piece). For background music the 3-piece is favored, while for festivals and concerts the 6-piece is preferred.

The instrumentation of the trio consists of: Spanish-electric guitar, keyboard (who also plays the bass part) and a hand percussion (congas, bongos, tambora, etc..), and for larger ensembles more percussions and a separate bass are added.

The same song list is used for all 4 sizes and it consists of both Latino and American standards and cover songs, but only Latin rhythms are used, to stay within the latinjazz style and to make these tunes more interesting, special and unique.

Roderick Camelia is a native of Curaçao, a Caribbean island, and is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He plays lead guitar within the group, as well as serving as musical director. He is the son of the late Juan Camelia, a well-known musician from the island, and so his broad knowledge of Latin and Caribbean music comes to him from within his family. The other players in the ensemble are also professional musicians who bring their own talent to the style.

The Camelia Latinjazz Band performs regularly for private events and less frequently at public venues, and is proud to announce that the group so far has had a track record of zero unsatisfied clients. (References may be requested.)

To hear and watch live performances of the trio, quartet, quintet and sextet, please go to the Youtube page and scroll down to the appropriate sizes. These demos were purposely created from "live recordings" (meaning: from recordings done without computerized corrections), with all the background chats, noises and imperfections of a live performance, so you get to experience the group in a real "live" setting: “what you hear is what you'll get”.

Here are some links of live performances of each style by the trio and sextet:

1.TRIO, bolerojazz (Misty)



2.TRIO, bachatajazz (Wave)



3.TRIO, cumbiajazz (There Will Never Be Another You)



4.TRIO, salsajazz (Blue Bossa)



5.TRIO, merenguejazz (What A Difference A Day Made) during a live performance.



1.SEXTET, bachatajazz (Wave)



2.SEXTET, cumbiajazz (All Of Me)



3.SEXTET, salsajazz (My Little Suede Shoes)



4.SEXTET, merenguejazz (Autumn Leaves)