Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.
Cesar Garcia was born in Caracas Venezuela. He began his musical studies first in music theory in 1998 with Professor Gilberto Simoza.
In 2002 he received private drum lessons with the teacher Willy Diaz, where he learned the basics of the instrument. In 2007, he began his percussion academic training at the Department of Simon Bolivar Conservatory with maestro Andres Briceño in the jazz genre.
In 2008, he played drums with the Simon Bolivar Jazz Big Band project of the National System of Youth and Children Orchestra of Venezuela. As part of this big band, Cesar participated in international festivals such as: International Jazz Festival Barquisimeto,Festival Jazz al Parque de Bogota (2009), Ajazzgo Cali Festival (2009).
During his academic training at the Conservatory of Music Simon Bolivar, Cesar received master classes from musicians like Dave Samuels, Robert Quintero, Roman Filiu, Nicolas Folmer as well as Afro-Venezuelan percussion workshops with maestro Javier Suarez.
2012-2014: In 2012, Cesar taught dedicated drum lessons for children and teenagers at the Melomaniaco School of Music (Caracas, Venezuela). During that same year, he joined the Ska Jazz Messenger as drummer. In 2014, he started playing for Professor Bangarang, which included various types of music such as Ska Jazz, Reggae, and Rocksteady.
2015 – 2016: The idea behind the project was to form a musical group that focused on African and Afro- Venezuelan music, fused with other genres such as Acid Jazz, Funk, Neo-Soul, new wave. In 2016, the project recorded their first EP. During that same year, Nzila Afrobeat made a short tour, playing in important events like Festival Nuevas Bandas (Caracas), and Festival MAAFA Ashe Cultural Arts and Center (New Orleans, Louisiana). It also took part in the “At the Festival Runs”, a workshop on Afro-Venezuelan percussion for children in the community Lumumba Center (Jackson, Mississippi).
In 2017, Cesar’s Nzila Afrobeat Project created, produced, and recorded with Javier Pinto their official debut album titled “Baboab”. During the same year, he played drums with the group in the Festival Nuevas Bandas and the Festival of French Alliance 2017.
In February of 2018, Nzila Afrobeat Project released their first LP on various digital platforms such as iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and many more.
Cesar sits behind the kit for The Southern Art Music Ensemble, Fulia Contemporary Ensemble, and Nzila Afrobeat Project.
