From Bogotá to Shakira to jazz, an unlikely journey.

Luis Giraldo was born in Montreal and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. His path to jazz ran through rock bands, a presidential marching band, an arena tour, and an audio-engineering school in Vancouver before it settled.

Music started in high school at the keyboard and microphone for a rock band called “Shade of Black.” The setlist ran U2, Miguel Mateos, Soda Stereo, and the rest of the early-90s rotation. After graduation, Luis was drafted into the Colombian army and joined the presidential marching band, playing trumpet and serving as section leader for one year.

In university, he joined the ska-rock band El Jardín de Daniela while studying Industrial Engineering. The group won two national music contests (Notas Radioactiva and Concurso de Música Kool) and earned studio time. Three semesters in, Luis transferred to the music programme at Universidad Javeriana with an Audio emphasis.

While in music school, he was invited by Juan Gabriel Turbay to join the nationally-renowned rock band Poligamia, recording two albums on Sony Music. He contributed original songs in a bluesier style. Casualidad and Déjame en Paz were the early signs of the jazz interest that would later take over. Poligamia’s lead singer, Andrés Cepeda, would go on to a major recording career; Luis played piano on the title track of Cepeda’s debut, “Se Morir.”

After Poligamia’s touring, Shakira invited Luis to join her band as keyboardist, acoustic rhythm guitarist, and vocalist. He performed with her at more than forty shows across North, Central, and South America.