My name is Anthony Avila, and I am an 18 year old musician from San Leandro, CA. I started playing guitar when I was 12, but I really starting taking the study of the guitar more seriously at the age of 16 when I started Jazz lessons. I first started lessons under Brad Rosten, but have also studied under prominent Bay Area jazz musicians such as Terrence Brewer, Mads Tolling, and Anton Schwartz. These teachers have taught me everything that I know about Jazz, which prepared me for professional work as a musician. I first began taking gigs as a professional musician a little under a year ago when an opportunity to play at the Old Skool Cafe was presented to me during my time as a member in an SFJAZZ program. The performance led to consistent work with OSC as well exposure which has landed me various gigs playing at weddings, other venues, and corporate events. I was a member of Jazz in the Neighborhood's Emerging Artists program, the leader, arranger, and guitarist for the nine-piece Arroyo Jazz Collective, and am currently partaking in the Jazz Search West Competition. I hope you all will be seeing more of me in the future, and my music career will forever be indebted to the Old Skool Cafe.
