Aquiles Navarro

A Canadian-born trumpeter of Panamanian descent, Aquiles Navarro is a bold soloist whose music fuses avant-garde jazz, modalism, Latin traditions, and electronic production. Known for his work as a member of the ensemble Irreversible Entanglements, he paired with drummer Tcheser Holmes, a longtime creative associate, for 2020's Heritage of the Invisible II.

Born in Toronto, Navarro grew up in a family who had immigrated to Canada from Panama in 1989 following the United States' invasion to depose Manuel Noriega. He was drawn to music from a young age, influenced by his grandfather who played cello, as well as his family's love of Latin folk music. He played trumpet throughout school, eventually studying with two legendary Panamanian musicians, trumpeter Victor "Vitin" Paz and saxophonist Carlos Garnett. After high school, he earned a bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, as well as a master's degree from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he studied under trumpeter Brian Lynch.

While in Boston, he befriended drummer Tcheser Holmes. Bonding over their shared Panamanian backgrounds, the pair embarked on a fruitful partnership, touring Panama and developing their expansive mix of free jazz, Latin traditions, and electronic music. They both eventually joined poet/singer Camae Ayewa's avant-garde group Irreversible Entanglements, appearing in the band's 2017 eponymous debut and its 2020 follow-up, Who Sent You. That same year, Navarro and Holmes also released their debut album as a duo, the genre-bending Heritage of the Invisible II. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi