ABOUT

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Almost nine years ago, at the age of six, two years after picking up his first guitar, Marel formed his first band "Marel Hidalgo & Friends," and debuted at a jam-packed local music venue, bringing the attention of several local newspapers. After this successful debut, Marel began his career by playing in festivals and venues in the Tri-State Area, as well as bringing his group to the Rock an and Roll of Fame, the Denver Day of Rock and other established festivals, bringing to audiences an eclectic mix of genres of music from around the world, which proved a incredible start to his career.

 

After a decade of a professional music career and performing countless shows, Marel has shifted into a career in the world of the jazz guitar, taking influence from jazz guitarists such as Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, Ernest Ranglin, and Jimmy Ponder, Charlie Christian and Hank Garland. Apart from jazz, Marel also performs Jamaican Jazz along with Reggae-Jaz, taking influence from Jamaican guitarist, Ernest Ranglin. Marel has led Jazz combos, 

Marel has also played with jazz legends such as Roger Humphries (Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Grant Green, J.J. Johnson, Coleman Hawkins, George Benson), Dwayne Dolphin (Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Turrentine, Nancy Wilson), Tony Campbell (Roy Ayers, Jack Jones, Diane Carroll), Don Aliquo Sr. (Sean Jones, Tony Bennett, Woody Herman, Joe Negri) and other jazz legends.

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"Can you remember what you were doing at six years old?... Did it involve performing in front of  hundreds of  people?  Odds are that the answer is no."                                

THE COAST STAR

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(excerpts from "Bradley Beach’s Marel Hidalgo--Musical prodigy wows audiences with talent, generosity - and age")

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