Harpist, composer and band leader Edmar Castañeda was born in Bogota, Colombia, but moved to the US as a teenager. It’s easy to see where he got his passion for the harp, which he discovered at age 13: his father was a musician, playing the very same instrument. In his new residence New York Edmar acquired a place in music. Starting out in “oldfashioned” folk, he increasingly developed his own unique style, mixing latin jazz with traditional Colombian music. Castañeda played with big jazz names such as saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and gitarist John Scofield. He regularly tours with his own Edmar Castañeda Trio, but also often works with singer Andrea Tierra. 2012 saw the release of his laters album, ‘Double Portion’.