Christian Hernandez Music - New EP on iTunes!

Christian Michael Hernandez is a recent summa cum laude graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He has also been fortunate to study with such inspirational musicians such as Phil Upchurch (Michael Jackson, Muddy Waters), David Gilmore (Joss Stone, Wayne Shorter), Adam Rogers (Norah Jones, Chris Potter), Alain Mallet (Paul Simon) and Mick Goodrick. Christian is a native Southern Californian, born in Van Nuys and raised in Mission Viejo. His debut EP, “5 for 5,” was released March 2010 and is available on iTunes, Amazon MP3s, Rhapsody and Napster!Christian Hernandez picked up his first guitar two weeks before his eighth birthday and within a few months learned to play classic rock tunes by ear. He started taking private lessons to hone his skill around age 10. Within a few years he was picking up bass guitar and drums, once again teaching himself how to play.After spending his formative music years listening to, playing and studying classic rock, in high school Christian, almost overnight developed a passion for straight-ahead classic jazz and dove headfirst into serious jazz instruction and studying. He was the lead guitar in the Capistrano Valley High School (Mission Viejo) jazz band, winning a soloist award at all but one jazz festival/competition in four full years. He won the Louis Armstrong Award his senior year, a nationally registered award, and also formed his first jazz combo with fellow high school jazz pals and enthusiasts that he hand-recruited (and two who appear on 5 for 5).Unexpected health issues at the end of 2005 sidelined Christian from his first year of college, but it was time well spent. He used most of 2006 to develop his writing, composing and band leading, which eventually led to some of his early compositions played on KKJZ 88.1 FM, the premier West Coast jazz station. That exposure earned “The Christian Hernandez Quartet” an invite on a one-hour program on KKJZ called "Ones to Watch," which showcased up-and-coming jazz artists. That, coupled with two performances at the Jazz Bakery (L.A.) helped the band land the opening act at the Long Beach Jazz Festival in August, which featured established artists, including David Benoit and George Duke.Christian hit the ground running at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. His first day of freshman year, Fall 2006, he was pulled out of the audition line to and told that he was selected to study with the department chair, eventually becoming one of just two students under the chair's instruction. He was awarded, as a freshman, the William B. Leavitt Memorial Scholarship, one of Berklee’s premier guitarist awards. As a Performance major, Christian studied with highly regarded faculty, including Mick Goodrick, David Gilmore, Alain Mallet and Tomo Fujita. Christian made up for one-year delay out of high school by attaining his Bachelor's Degree in Performance in just three years while graduating summa cum laudeChristian (re)discovered his love for funk at college, and it was a sound and repertoire he was eager to bring home and develop after graduation.Christian’s debut EP/CD, “5 for 5,” is as an expansive combination of his musical influences, with touches of Grant Green, Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine and others.