Jorge Pérez-Albela started playing drums at age 16 in Lima, Perú. He comes from a family of musicians. His great grand father was composer and educator Don Isidoro Purizaga, and drummer Rafael "Pocho" Purizaga was his uncle. In the early nineties Jorge kept a busy schedule performing with Latin Grammy-winning singer Gian Marco and Grammy-nominated Peruvian singer, Eva Ayllón.
Inspired by the beauty and richness of Peruvian music, Pérez-Albela began to study the cajón, which he learned directly from the masters. To date Jorge continues to research Afro-Peruvian music by periodic visits to his hometown, Lima, Peru.
In 1994, following his passion for Jazz, Pérez-Albela relocate to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Music.
His versatility, deep knowledge of jazz and South American rhythms, and his ability to integrate jazz drums with cajón make him a one-of-a-kind musician. He has performed or recorded with Grammy-winning composer/conductor Maria Schneider, pianists Danilo Perez, Geoffrey Keezer, Nando Michelin, Jarrett Cherner, Bert Seager and Leo Blanco; guitarists Claudio Ragazzi and Eric Kurimski, bassist John Patitucci and Ben Street, singers Sofia Koutsovitis and Mili Bermejo, Saxophonists Dan Blake and Grace Kelly; trumpeters Jason Palmer and Peter Kenagy.
A Boston resident, Pérez-Albela is actively involved in the city’s jazz scene and frequently commutes to New York City for performances or recordings in venues such as: The Blue Note, The Jazz Standard, The Jazz Gallery, Sweet Rhythm, Tonic, Jordan Hall, The Regattabar and The Berklee Performance center.
Jorge has toured Europe with Sofia Rei Koutsovitis, Javier Vercher, Albert Sanz and Andre Fernandes, performing at the most prestigious venues and festivals including "El Festival Grec" in Barcelona.
Pérez-Albela has been featured at the "2010 International Cajon Festival" leading his quintet with singer Sofia Rei, bassist Jorge Roeder, pianist Bert Seager and guitarist Eric Kurimski. Also featured at the "Jazz en Lima" International Festival (Peru) with his jazz trio (w/ Eli Degibri on sax and Edward Perez on bass).
Pérez-Albela has joined the faculty of the Berklee College of Music for the Summer performance program since 2010 He also proudly directs a music therapy program in Brookline, Massachusetts. Jorge teaches at The Concord Conservatory since 2010. He has taught master classes at The Berklee College of Music, Pontificia Universidad Catolica, The National Conservatory in Lima, Perú, and at the Portsmouth Dance and Percussion Festival, in New Hampshire
