Ray Ureña

A prolific multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter, Ray Ureña displays a masterful musical breadth in Latin, World, and Jazz genres. Exploring the use of carefully integrated Caribbean folkloric rhythms, Ray Ureña’s music stands out with its creative, improvised use of complex chord changes. The talented artist remains motivated by his long-term goal of touring the world and creating music that is inspired by his roots.

Elevator Pitch

Raymond Ureña is a dynamic multi-instrumentalist, composer, professor at University of Michigan, and songwriter. He is a first-call guitarist from the metropolitan Detroit area who plays pop, traditional jazz, and world music. An eclectic performer, Ray Ureña has toured with several powerhouse bands. The artist has opened for acts such as BNL, Spin Doctors, Everclear, and Eddie Money and has also been credited for the film score of ‘A Detroit Thing.’

Ray has also been credited as music supervisor and film-score composer for six short films and a documentary. His musical journey remains inspired by his travel to his family’s native Dominican Republic to study the music of the Caribbean. He also holds a degree from Wayne State University, has studied with Steve Carryer, and was awarded several prestigious jazz studies scholarships.

With a number of original instrumental compositions gracing his discography on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube, Ray remains motivated to bring his Caribbean-influenced rhythms and tunes to the forefront for Jazz listeners around the world. His released records include “The Oracle,” “El Cibao,” “Elegy For The Victims in Ukraine,” and a cover for the track “Linda Chicana.”

Ray Ureña’s admirable performances include live shows at the Ann Arbor Art Fair, the Concert of Colors, and the Arts Beats Eats festival. A fantastic composer who also plays cuatro and seven string guitars, Ray’s band also features arranger, saxophone, flute player Michelle Ureña, and Brent Nagy on drums and percussion.

Ray’s music uses rhythms from the Dominican Republic for melody and striking improvisation. His track, “The Oracle,” begins with a retro fusion to set up a distinct theme over tonal parallelism, influenced by David Liebman’s unique approach to chromatism. The bridge of the track utilizes merengue-style phrases over chromatic and sophisticated chords, delivering a memorable musical experience. Meanwhile, “El Cibao” displays a traditional- sounding melody based on less complex harmonies.

Inspired by the iconic funk records of guitarist Grant Green, Ray Ureña plans to continue recording jazz albums inspired by the different foods and cultural expressions of the Dominican Republic.