Socrates Garcia is a composer, arranger, producer, recording engineer, bandleader, guitarist, and educator from the Dominican Republic. He has performed as a guitarist and keyboard player in many Latin-American countries, and his orchestra, the Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra, has performed around the country and internationally.

SHADOWS OF TOMORROW (Summit Records), the newest album by Socrates Garcia, performed by the Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra, is a lush, orchestral jazz album awash with tropical colors and heavy metal splashes. Garcia composed and arranged six pieces that reflect the Afro-Caribbean culture and traditions of his native Dominican Republic while also reflecting on some of the current geo-political issues that have bedeviled the world of late.

His previous album, Back Home (MAMA Records), is a symbiotic combination of Afro-Dominican and Afro-Caribbean genres within the aesthetic of contemporary orchestral jazz. An award winning album, it has received numerous accolades by critics and jazz fans alike.

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This is smart and exciting music that shows us the power of Dominican music combined with jazz.
-Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz

 

His Latin Jazz Orchestra raises up jazz and merengue through the sophisticated palette of big band orchestration and the lowdown, sensuous intrigue of the dance music inherent in both.
-AXS by Carol Banks Weber

– Publicity Photos –

SG – Publicity Photo 1

©Photo by: Alina Vargas Afanasieva

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SG Publicity Photo 2

Photo by: Alina Vargas Afanasieva

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SG Publicity Photo 3

©Photo by: Alina Vargas Afanasieva

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SG Publicity Photo 4

©Photo by: Alina Vargas Afanasieva

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Full Band

©Photo by: Astrid Garcia

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In the Studio - Shadows of Tomorrow Session

©Photo by: Astrid Garcia

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SG Publicity Photo 7

©Photo by: Moody Myers

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In the Studio - Back Home Session

©Photo by: Chang Su

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In the Studio - Back Home Session 2

©Photo by: Chang Su

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“Snazzy is what comes to mind here. With never a dull moment to harsh your vibe, this is going to take you to the groovy Latin jazz club in your mind where gringos are always welcome.”
-Midwest Record by Chris Spector

 
 

Back Home is an energetic, charming, sensory, and revealing album. Garcia shows us what home is for him. And it is sweet.
-The Jazz Owl by Travis Rogers, Jr.

– Recordings –

“Shadows of Tomorrow offers a colorful, high spirited mélange of Latin music styles via expansive, full-bodied, alternately muscular and sensitive arrangements performed by his powerhouse 24-piece jazz orchestra. Garcia offers a master class/full-scale immersion into a full range of vibes from his native country.” – JW Vibe by Jonathan Widran

“[Shadows of Tomorrow] A musical meeting place. Socrates Garcia offers it to the public where the soul of Dominican culture and Afro-Caribbean music meet. It’s a mixture of cultures, creativity and some contemporary jazz, arranged for a Latin orchestra. ” – Musical Memoirs by Dee Dee McNeil

SHADOWS OF TOMORROW

“Do not let the word “Latin” in front of the Socrates Garcia Jazz Orchestra’s name sway you. Shadows of Tomorrow is bright and spirited contemporary jazz albeit with a southerly twist.” – All About Jazz by Jack Bowers.

BACK HOME

Golden Medal – Global Music Awards

SUEÑOS

Each of the wonderfully written works are an homage to people and places in the Caribbean island that influenced his life. The tunes are rich with percussive Afro-Latin rhythms and lush horn arrangements.
-The Jazz Page Raves by D. Glenn Daniels

All the music on this project is composed, arranged and conducted by Socrates Garcia. Believe me, the arrangements are dynamic and beautiful. The orchestration is lush and the musicians are masterfully articulate.
-Musical Memoirs by Dee Dee McNeil

– Videos –

“Back Home” presents a long journey and a lifetime labor of love for Garcia, and the amount of work he put into the arrangements reflects that respect and devotion.
-Jazz Music Archives by JS

The band is a large ensemble of talented musicians that produce vibrant Latin-infused jazz that is jovial, spirited and easy to enjoy.
-O’s Place Jazz Newsletter by D. Oscar Groomes