Pianist / Arranger / Composer

   Julio was born in Baton Rouge Louisiana, before moving to Mexico City as an infant. Julio grew up with his mother and his god-mother, both of them musicians themselves. He was educated at at private Mexican-Japanese school. From age 4 to 12 he also attended an alternative music school called ARTENE, where the emphasis is not put in the individual becoming a musician but the music becoming a formative tool in the development of the child. With Artene he was able to tour England as a part of a program funded by the UNICEF showcasing children making music. After graduating from Artene Julio attended for two years the National School of music where he focused his studies in percussion. Julio's musical talents were rewarded with various performances with the percussion section of the Symphonic Orchestra of Mexico City. But Julio was very interested in Jazz:

"...when I was growing up in Mexico City there wasn't any places where you could hear (other than the very few special performances by featured American jazz players) or learn how to play jazz, but the little I had  heard was very intriguing..."

He became so curious about it that in 1990 he came to the United States to learn how to play Jazz. He first moved to Eugene, Oregon where his mother's brother was living. While in Eugene Julio attended LCC and then became a graduate at the University of Oregon where he obtained a BA in Music with emphasis in Ethnomusicology. Aside from school, Julio performed with several different bands which offered him a variety of styles to learn. He joined Eugene's Salsa band Caliente in 1990. And after 3 years he became the musical director of the band. In the Jazz field he played with small and large jazz ensembles at the University of Oregon. His thirst for music became greater and he joined a funk band lead by Mingo Lewis (Carlos Santana's ex-percussionist) where he experimented with Latin Jazz and funk to broaden his musical experience.  In Portland, OR he  played with a Salsa band called "La Mayor," and also with a Jazz trio named "Atmosphere." After graduating from college in the summer of 97 Julio moved to Seattle, WA. It was then when he joined Expresion Latina. Julio arranges and composes music for the band, which is currently working on material for a second CD. Julio draws inspiration from the music of Latin pianists Papo Lucca, Eddie Palmieri, Michel Camilo and Danilo Perez, as well as Jazz pianists Kenny Barron, Winton Kelly and McCoy Tyner. Today you can also hear him perform with a Latin Jazz group called Rumba Abierta.