LOS ANGELES, CA // LATIN JAZZ - When one listens to Oskar Cartaya's music, one can easily detect the fusion of influences and experiences from his extensive professional musical background in Puerto Rico, New York, and Los Angeles. Cartaya, who is well-known for his composing, arranging, and his work as a musical director for a wide array of premier artists, possesses a personal catalog of credits to his name that make him one of the most sought-after and recognized Latin Jazz bass players in the world. 

Cartaya's talents have been recruited by the likes of Herb Albert, Jennifer Lopez, Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, Tito Puente, Robbie Robertson, Obie Bermudez, and Nestor Torres, just to name a few. Amongst his career credits are the production of Passion Dance by Herb Albert (Almo Records), and Plenarriquea for Jennifer Lopez, which is a live concert on DVD (Sony Music). He has also been part of the revival television show "Showtime at the Apollo," has composed and arranged for Jodie Foster's movie "Contact," produced the soundtrack for the movie "Wedding Bell Blues," and played on grammy winning albums for Arturo Sandoval, Willie Colón, and Spyro Gyra. 

When it comes to playing his own original music live, Cartaya does it with his Enclave, which is described by him as the voice of culture from within the boundaries of America and a musical expression played en clav. Their spectacular sound is a gumbo of jazz and funk, afro-caribbean percussion, and urban street soul attitude. And truthfully, that's exactly what it is. Recently, at the world famous El Floridita in Hollywood, Oskar Cartaya has been delighting crowds who truly appreciate the likes of highly acclaimed artists like Cartaya. They have been a big hit.

In 2004, Oskar released his debut solo album "My Music, My Friends, My Time" on OYE Records. The album is a breath of fresh air with melodic meanderings that take the listener on a journey that they will not soon forget. The tracks are chosen very wisely in order to effectively complement, but not detract from one another. The direction of the album is obviously purposeful, and it has something to please every type of listener. It is, indeed, an expression of majestic flavor, just as Cartaya's long and successful career has been -- and there is still so much to come!