Óskar Ly is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, bandleader and music producer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, his music journey began when he was 9, the piano being his first instrument.

 

A self-taught artist, he also plays guitar, bass, melodica, accordion, and Latin percussion instruments. At a very early age, he becomes part of diverse Colombian bands performing popular genres, including rock, salsa, and merengue. At 15 he discovers jazz. His fascination for this genre becomes evident in many of his his arrangements and compositions, being Chucho Valdés, Michel Camilo, Richie Ray, Darío Eskenazi, Paquito D' Rivera, and Barry Harris, some of his major influences.

 

At the age of 21, Óskar moves to the United States, where he begins to work with Latin music superstars Nino Segarra, Chuchito Valdés, Nelson Rangell, Sal Cuevas (bassist of Fania All Stars), Karl Perazzo (Santana’s drummer), Richie Flores (Eddie Palmieri’s conguero), Dante Vargas (Marc Anthony’s trumpeter), Elías Tona (Al Di Meola's bassist), the Grammy award winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra, among other renowned artists. Many of them have participated in his musical productions which are available today on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify and all other music distribution channels, being listened in more than 140 countries worldwide.

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Currently, he is the director of Óskar Ly & Rumbalú, a world-class Latin music orchestra featuring the most talented musicians and singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more about Rumbalú here.

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Besides his successful music career, Óskar is a Senior Data Scientist in the Silicon Valley, author of a book and a number of scientific papers, and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from University of South Florida in Tampa.