We were lucky to catch up with Juan Manuel Rangel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Juan Manuel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned mostly by exploring by myself. For the guitar; I attempted to get a lesson from my father -he knew enough chords to play songs and I thought that was all there was to playing guitar. However, that lesson was not very fruitful and we stopped about 15 minutes in. A few months later, I was at a newsstand (remember those?) looking for am independent music magazine I liked and came across a songbook that featured two of my favorite bands. I opened the songbook to my favorite songs and, after that proved too difficult, I flipped through to the song that had the fewest and easiest chords. Soon enough I was playing a song! After that I looked for songs that had similar chords and built my library of chords that way and used my ear to figure out melodies and solo lines. Three years into playing I discovered that there was a guitar program in my high school and I joined it (in my junior year) I wish I had done this earlier as it propelled my learning not only by receiving instruction but also because I got to play with other people – that is the key, in my opinion; find friendly people that are better at it than you and learn from them by just playing.

The most essential skills that helped me along were active listening and developing my ear as a result. The songbook helped in that maybe some of the chords didn’t sound like they quite fit with the rest and that forced me to look for the right sound by using my ear. Also some songs were transposed to make them easier to play – being able to catch that and “fix it” was a great learning experience. Luckily, I was exposed to a lot of music and even some instruments (guitar, keyboard, drums) through my parents.

As I transitioned to acoustic jazz in the last 6 years or so, I realized that there were a lot more resources than I had at the beginning (on-demand online lessons, YouTube educational videos, etc). As this was a language I had never practiced but only knew through listening to it; I started going to masterclasses when possible and occasional private lessons.

Private lessons are great in that not only do you have someone dedicated to your learning but they can also guide you in what not to learn as they have already gotten to a point you want to reach.

When it comes to radio production, I use some of the skills I picked up producing my own music and videos. I have been building those skills since I was 19 years old – with very limited resources, which I feel has pushed my creativity in order to achieve satisfactory results. My experience as a tango DJ has also helped develop my strategies for timing transitions between songs. This comes very useful with “Jazz Latino,” which has two presenters (Juan Flores and Lupita) and lots of great music so I have to find the best way to squeeze as much material in the two hours as possible. Another skill that being a tango DJ has helped me develop is curating music this is essential when preparing the flow of my show, “Jazz Latino Presents: Conexiones,” based on the particular theme I’m following that week.

Tango dancing, on the other hand, I learned through a combination of group lessons and lots of practice on the dance floor. I was lucky in that when I started dancing there were very few men so us newbies were very welcome and encouraged. I started dancing right after my first lesson and that made my skills grow very rapidly. Again; practicing with people that are more advanced and know what they’re doing pays great dividends.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always had a passion for music and connecting through it with other people. From my sister with the two of us jumping on my parents’ bed singing along to records, fellow musicians sharing the bandstand, the audience cheering or applauding a performance, the dancers filling the dancefloor due to a song I curated, or the sea of people that listen over the airwaves. It all starts from the same need: to connect and communicate.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Connecting with others. I am a strong believer that for there to be art it has to inspire a reaction in someone – an audient. We can be masters at our craft but if nobody else is aware of our work, it cannot even pretend to be art.

The spark that ignites the art is purely personal, but it is fed by the fuel of those who came before and inspired us and gets propagated by those that receive the message and identify with it.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Invest in them. If you find enjoyment in what they do, go to a show, to an exhibition, interact with them on social media, share them with a friend. Rather than spending $200 on a ticket for a show you’re going to be 1 of 10,000 at, spend $200 on 10 tickets for 10 different shows you’re going to be 1 of 50 at. You’re going to be richer in experiences that way and might even make a few good friends in the process.

Also, tell your favorite businesses about them. You might open opportunities for an artist’s paintings finding an owner at a restaurant, or a songwriter booking a gig at that bar where you’re a regular.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juancheau/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juancheau
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTUi8g1Ojv9V4bWXn03rWVA

Image Credits
Patch Alcala Cacao Photography