B I O
Marel Hidalgo is a sixteen-year-old guitarist, and bandleader from Bradley Beach, New Jersey, and was the leader and founder of "The Marel Hidalgo Band". He began studying music at the age of four, under the instruction of guitar teacher Jerry Franklin at Big Beat Music Studio in Neptune City and within a few months, he had his first presentation working with renowned reggae artist Tim P-Dub.
Two years later, at the age of six, Marel formed his first band "Marel Hidalgo & Friends," a multicultural and multi-generational project that explored a wide variety of music genres, including reggae, classic rock, soul, blues, funk, country, bluegrass and Latin jazz. After his band’s debut in a jam-packed local venue, Marel started building a name in the Jersey Shore music scene. During this period in his career, he performed in numerous festivals such as the South Orange Blues Festival, South Mountain International Blues Festival, and The Denver Day Of Rock just to name a few, other venues in the
tri-state area and The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, and was featured on National TV on the Harry Connick Jr. Show.
After this period, Marel discovered Virtuoso by Joe Pass, and within a few months of his first listening, Marel began performing around New Jersey presenting a solo jazz guitar show rooted in the tradition of jazz guitarists such as Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, and Johnny Smith in venues and festivals around the tri-state area, as well as being featured by WRTI in Philadelphia.
Marel continues his career in jazz, mainly by returning to his roots of the Caribbean, and continuing in the tradition of jazz by presenting The Jamaican Jazz Songbook. Following his first presentation focusing on the songbook at one of New Jersey's jazz clubs, Marel has continued with his quartet to showcase the diverse styles of music of the Caribbean. As put by the Exit Zero Jazz Festival on his debut on the Main Stage with his quartet, opening for Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap "In his solo set, Hidalgo travels from burning jazz jam staples like “Cherokee” and “How High the Moon” to more intimate fare like the oft-covered ballads “Lullaby of the Leaves,” “Tenderly” and Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight.” With his quartet the music can range from uptempo swingers to lowdown blues and songs from the Jamaican Songbook inspired by Jamaican guitar great Ernest Ranglin". During his 11 year career as a musician, Marel has had the honor to be on stage with many talented, legendary, and renowned musicians, such as jazz legends such as drummer Roger Humphries, bassist Dwayne Dolphin, Don Aliquo Sr, bassist Mike Griot and many other jazz greats, as well as performing at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, The Atrium at the Lincoln Center, the City Winery in Pittsburgh, the Count Basie Vogel Theather, just to name a few.
"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
(excerpts from "Bradley Beach’s Marel Hidalgo--Musical prodigy wows audiences with talent, generosity - and age")