Oscar Reynolds & Karumanta Biography             
                                                                                                                            
A leading advocate of his native country’s music, Bolivian-born Oscar Reynolds is an accomplished composer, internationally-acclaimed Andean flute master, guitarist, flute-maker, recording engineer, and lawyer from the Andes mountains of La Paz. Performing around the world for four decades, he is recognized for playing the Bolivian pan flutes and guitar simultaneously. The San Francisco Observer says, “Any flute player would marvel at the tight control over each note Reynolds displays while packing a stream of emotions into his complex scale runs, but to see him do that and play the guitar is quite impressive.”

Oscar first picked up a guitar at the age of 12. The first music Reynolds can remember hearing was A Puerto Mont by Uruguay's Los Iracundos, of which he notes, "After listening to all the songs from this group, I taught myself to play these on guitar." Soon, he was teaching himself to play songs by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, and Carlos Santana. Over time, he expanded his expertise to master a variety of Andean flutes, bass, charango, keyboards, and percussion solely by watching other musicians. In his teens, Reynolds became the keyboardist in a Bolivian rock band that toured nationally. His musicianship garnered invitations to join several prestigious Andean bands with which he toured South America, Europe, and the United States.

Oscar obtained a law degree in 1987. After a short legal career, he returned to his love for music in 1991, forming the Bolivian band Karumanta Jamuyku (Quechua for “We have come from far away”), described by The East Bay Express as “the current favorite of fans in a field already overrun with excellent musicians, representing the purest traditional sound.” The band built a solid following while extensively touring the Western United States and South America.

Oscar has six full-length albums to his credit under his own independent label Karumanta Music, with his latest release "Río de Luz (River of Light)" being widely acclaimed by critics and the public, making its debut at #7 on the New Age Reporter charts. He has given live television performances on Telemundo, Univision, ABC News10, UPN 31, and NBC, and his music has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, KRON 4’s Latin Eyes, the movie Follow Me Home, Pete Wilson’s KGO news talk program "The Best Music You've Never Heard," and Audio Visions on XM Satellite Radio, among over 850 NPR and PRI radio stations in the United States and abroad. 

Reynolds has shared the stage with Chuscales, one of today's leading flamenco guitarists, and notable Peruvian artists such as singer Cecilia Barraza, guitarist Coco Linares, and Perú Negro’s Lalo Izquierdo, among others. Oscar & Lalo Izquierdo are 2005 recipients of the highly competitive Creative Work Fund grant for traditional arts. He regularly donates portions of his concert proceeds to non-profit organizations and charities to help the community.

Biography of Lalo Izquierdo & José Luis Reynolds of Oscar Reynolds & Karumanta

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