Jorge Brito
Bass + Vocals
Jorge taught himself to play guitar as a teenager in Mexico, then went on to study medicine and spent his internship year in Cuba. During that time, he studied percussion and timbales with Alexis “pututi” Arce. After completing his medical degree, Jorge move to the US and changed gears from medicine to music. In 2012, he started studying double bass with Timothy Shaffer and took music classes at Elgin Community College. He has since transferred to Northern Illinois University where he is a Music Education major studying double bass with John Floeter. Off campus, Jorge plays with the Chicago-based latin band, Tierra Roja (formerly Fandanguero), playing traditional Mexican son and Cuban son. Jorge joined the band 6 years ago, first as their percussionist and now as the bass player. To deepen his understanding of Son Jarocho, Jorge traveled to Veracruz, Mexico to study the leona (Mexican acoustic guitar) with Joel Cruz Castellanos (Cojolites). With Fandanguero and Tierra Roja, Jorge has performed at the Casa Aztlan, Chicago Cultural Center, The Summer Dance at Grant Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, University of Chicago, De Paul University, and the Festival del Mole, among other events and festivals throughout the Midwest. As a classical double bass musician, he has performed with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Fox Valley Orchestra and the NIU Philharmonic.