Since the beginning of the 21st century, a new generation of Argentine musicians has been composing, recording, and expanding the language of jazz from their own perspective. These artists have embraced the genre not as an imitation of American or European models, but as a fertile ground for crossover with other Argentine music styles: tango, folklore, rock, and contemporary music. Through improvisation, original writing, and sonic experimentation, they have built a unique identity that puts Argentine jazz on the international map.
While the country has a long history in the genre—with key names like Enrique “Mono” Villegas , Jorge Navarro , and Lalo Schifrin —this article focuses on a more recent scene: one that, from 2001 onward, consolidated its own aesthetic, supported by collective work, academic training, and the sustained release of original albums.
Below, we present ten leading figures whose work reflects this rapidly expanding process. Their careers trace a possible map of the richness, diversity, and vitality of contemporary Argentine jazz.
1. Javier Malosetti: The groove of the Argentine bass
Beginning of his career: 1980s
Innovative element: A fusion of jazz with funk, rock, and blues, he excels as a bassist and multi-instrumentalist.
Most famous songs: Palm II , Cleanie , Disco inferno .
From a very young age, Malosetti not only stood out as a musician, but also demonstrated a comprehensive vision of art: he began as a drummer, moved on to the guitar, and finally consolidated his legacy as one of the most influential bassists in local jazz. His musical training, inherited from his father, guitarist Walter Malosetti, allowed him to approach the fusion of genres with unusual creative freedom. He began his solo career in 1993, but it was with albums like Villa (2002) and Onyx (2004), both of which won Gardel Awards, that he established himself as a leading figure in the scene. Furthermore, his role as a regular member of Luis Alberto Spinett 's band for eight years positioned him as a bridge between jazz and Argentine rock.
In a 2020 interview with Página/12 , Malosetti defined improvisation as "central," emphasizing that his projects are nourished by a constant tension between writing and spontaneity. In his most recent trio, featuring guitar, bass, and drums, he has explored rhythms ranging from funk and soul to rock with a visceral and energetic approach.
2. Urban Quintet: The vanguard of Buenos Aires jazz
Beginning of his career: Late 90s, early 2000s.
Innovative element: Integration of original compositions with collective improvisation, marking a new stage in Argentine jazz.
Most famous songs: Malón , The Search , The Compadre .
Since its formation in 1999, the Urban Quintet became a true creative laboratory for Argentine jazz. His first album, Jazz Contemporáneo Argentino (2000), and its sequel, Argentine Contemporary Jazz II They showed a unique approach: original compositions that integrated elements of tango, milonga and folklore, within a contemporary jazz logic, fused with typical hardbop structures. With Diego Schissi on piano, Guillermo Delgado on double bass, Oscar Giunta on drums, Juan Cruz de Urquiza on trumpet, and Rodrigo Domínguez on saxophone, the group aimed to build its own unique style, avoiding the repetition of foreign models and seeking a distinctive voice within the local scene. The Quinteto Urbano achieves what very few in the world can currently achieve: sounding distinct.
This search was consolidated throughout a trilogy of albums that marked a milestone in the scene: the two volumes of Argentine Contemporary Jazz, published by Club del Disco, and the closing with En Subida (2003). In its six years of activity, the Quintet performed more than 400 concerts, including at prestigious venues where they shared the bill with figures such as Dave Holland , Michael Brecker , Brad Mehldau , and Wayne Shorter . For Oscar Giunta, it was "a very big moment" due to the collective creative power they managed to sustain. In 2005, the group was honored with the Platinum Konex Award as the best jazz group of the decade, cementing its place as an essential reference point for 21st-century Argentine jazz.
3. Juan Cruz de Urquiza: The versatile trumpet
Beginning of his career: Late 90s, early 2000s.
Innovative element: A combination of jazz with elements of rock and Argentine popular music, he excelled as a trumpet player and composer.
Most famous songs: Promises About the Bidet , Song for My Death - Live , Going from the Slaughter House to the Living Room - Live .
More than a trumpet virtuoso, Juan Cruz de Urquiza has been a central figure in the consolidation of a distinct language for Argentine jazz since the beginning of the 21st century. As a member of the Quinteto Urbano, he was part of a scene that renewed the ways of composing, improvising, and thinking about jazz in Buenos Aires. But his greatest contribution has been as a composer and leader of groups that, album after album, foregrounded local authorship as a creative driving force. His albums De Este Lado (2005), Indómita Luz (2012), and Lentes (2018) are examples of this constant search for a situated sound, where improvisation coexists with sophisticated arrangements and a profoundly contemporary sensibility.
In recent years, De Urquiza has continued to expand the boundaries of the genre. In Última Chance (2022), his most recent album, he incorporates his own lyrics for the first time and brings into play new expressive forms, addressing social and environmental themes from a poetic perspective. His active participation in collective projects such as Real Book Argentina, where he performs and writes original music in dialogue with dozens of local colleagues, reinforces his role as one of the architects of contemporary Argentine jazz. Beyond his individual career, his greatest legacy may lie in this combination of compositional rigor, aesthetic openness, and commitment to a scene that conceives of itself through a collective lens.
4. Oscar Giunta: Energy and precision on the drums
Beginning of his career: Late 90s, early 2000s.
Innovative element: Mastery of bebop and contemporary jazz, with an energetic style and precise technique.
Most famous songs: Black Hole Sun , Cabrera's Blues , ECT .
Oscar Giunta is one of the most influential drummers in contemporary Argentine jazz. Since his early appearances in the 1990s, he has stood out for his energetic, deeply expressive, and technically precise style. He was a fundamental member of the Quinteto Urbano, where he contributed a powerful, modern rhythmic approach that was always attentive to the collective game. Throughout his career, he has performed on international stages and shared musical experiences with figures such as Herbie Hancock and Paquito D'Rivera . Wayne Shorter or Dave Holland , always keeping his finger on the pulse of the local scene, Giunta is known for understanding the drums not only as a rhythmic foundation, but also as a melodic and narrative instrument, capable of communicating as equals with the rest of the band.
Photo: Eduardo Cesario.
In recent years, he has consolidated a personal project with the Oscar Giunta Supertrío! , made up of Flavio Romero (double bass) and Hernán Jacinto (piano), with whom he recorded Apaláp! (2019, released internationally in 2021), an album recorded in New York that received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Gardel Awards. In 2022, he released Daylight – Live Sessions , recorded live in Buenos Aires, which showcases his versatility and expressive power. He is also part of other projects such as the URMG quartet and is currently working on new recordings in Europe. Beyond his virtuosity, his greatest contribution to Argentine jazz lies in his commitment to a vibrant, physical and risk-taking aesthetic, in which each drum beat is an affirmation of identity.
5. Escalandrum : tradition and modernity from the sextet
Beginning of his career: 1999.
Innovative element: A sophisticated fusion of jazz with tango and Argentine folklore, without falling into the “fusion” cliché.
Most famous songs: The Lost Birds , Terrestrial , Encounter .
Formed in 1999 by Daniel “Pipi” Piazzolla , Escalandrum has been one of the most relevant groups in contemporary Argentine jazz. The sextet, i Made up of Nicolás Guerschberg (piano), Mariano Sívori (double bass), Damián Fogiel (tenor sax), Gustavo Musso (alto and soprano sax), Martín Pantyrer (baritone sax and bass clarinet) and Piazzolla himself on drums, they stood out from the beginning for avoiding easy formulas: instead of making “tango jazz” or “Latin jazz”, they proposed an instrumental sound where improvisation is intertwined with rhythmic and harmonic climates of Argentine music. Their music has toured more than twenty countries and has been highlighted for its open, modern and locally rooted character. In 2005, they received the Platinum Konex Award as the best jazz group of the decade, consolidating their profile as a standard-bearer of jazz with a local identity.
The peak of their acclaim came with Piazzolla Plays Piazzolla (2011), an album in which they reinterpreted Astor Piazzolla's work through jazz, without the bandoneon or nostalgia, but with a contemporary and virtuoso interpretation. The album won the Premio Gardel de Oro (the first time it was awarded to an instrumental album). and earned a Latin Grammy nomination. Since then, they have released works such as Vértigo (2013), Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (2014), 3001 Proyecto Piazzolla (2016), the notable Sesiones ION (2018 - published by Club del Disco), recorded live with hall sound and without digital editing, and Escalectric (2023), the latter with a more electric and experimental twist. Escalandrum is, without a doubt, one of the most consistent cases of aesthetic evolution within jazz made in Argentina.
6. Pipi Piazzolla Trio: rhythmic innovation in an intimate format
Beginning of his career: 2010.
Innovative element: Reinvention of the double bass-less trio, combining complex structures with an accessible sound.
Most famous songs: Poles , Aura , Brilliant Corners .
Daniel “Pipi” Piazzolla – grandson of Astor Piazzolla – leads this trio which, since its formation in 2010, has explored new forms of dialogue between jazz, tango and sound experimentation. It consists of Lucio Balduini (electric guitar) and Damián Fogiel (tenor and soprano saxophone), the group intentionally dispenses with the double bass and piano, opting for textures where the drums, guitar, and saxophone generate a highly interactive rhythmic-melodic network. This sonic quest was captured early on in Arca Rusa (2012) and was further developed in Transmutación (2015 - published by Club del Disco CDD). Winner of the 2016 Gardel Award for Best Jazz Album, an album of great rhythmic richness and enveloping atmospheres, celebrated for its ability to make the complex seem simple.
In 2019 (CDD) they released Rata , Winner of the 2020 Gardel Award for Best Jazz Album , in 2022 (CDD) they released Stick Shot , recorded in live takes with minimal post-production. The trio proposes intense pieces, full of polyrhythms and open dynamics, which allow for a rare freedom of interpretation. Their aesthetic combines the energy of rock with the timbral subtlety of contemporary jazz, all supported by a highly elaborate rhythmic conception. Without the need for ostentatious virtuosity, the trio has achieved an expressive synthesis that makes it one of the most unique and influential projects in contemporary Argentine jazz.
7. Adrian Iaies : masters of stylistic crossover on the piano
Beginning of his career: mid-1980s.
Innovative element: fusion of jazz with tango, soul and folklore, developing a hybrid and unique language
Most famous songs: Friday 3AM , Missing Strayhorn , Bitter Suburb .
Since the late 1980s, Adrián Iaies has stood out for his approach to piano from a highly refined stylistic fusion perspective. His early projects, such as Touch and the Adrián Iaies Trio, already demonstrated his interest in combining jazz with elements of Argentine folklore and tango, but it was with Las Tardecitas de Minton's (1999) that he reached a turning point: an intense, intimate, and sophisticated album that marked the beginning of a musical identity that engages with the local scene without abandoning jazz tradition. Since then, Iaies has released more than thirty albums, expanding his sound into solo, trio, and quartet formats, becoming a central figure in the intersection of Argentine popular music and modern jazz.
In the last decade, he has continued to innovate: in 2015 he presented Cada mañana te trae , a work for piano and double bass with the Colegiales Trío, which combines rhythmic precision with melancholic sensibility, and in 2019 he released Cada vez que (siempre) brillas , together with the singer Diana Arias, mixing vocal jazz with sophisticated arrangements. Furthermore, his role as artistic director of the Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival (a position he held for more than a decade) and his most recent performance with Pablo Ledesma in 2024 demonstrate his commitment to opening channels between genres and promoting creative dialogues that strengthen the local scene. In November 2024, she released her latest work, We'll Be Together Again (Live at Prez) , recorded live at the Buenos Aires jazz club Prez Jazz & Music Club. Featuring classical repertoire and vocal standards, this album stands out for its refined technique, melancholic sensibility, and the warmth inherent to the live format.
8. Ernesto Jodos: intimate experimentation from the piano
Beginning of his career: early 1990s.
Innovative element: fusion between contemporary composition and free improvisation balanced with jazz tradition.
Most famous songs: The Crystal of Others , LL#4 , Plot Twist .
Ernesto Jodos stands out for his vision of jazz that seeks to weave a fine line between compositional structure and free improvisation, working in a variety of formats—trio, quartet, solo piano—always maintaining a personal poetic quality. On Durmientes (2023), recorded live at the Borges Cultural Center, Jodos offers a repertoire of their own songs and covers of Thelonious Monk , Bud Powell, and Ornette Coleman. The result is an introspective, rigorous, and profoundly musical album, where every silence weighs as much as every note. Critics considered it one of the most important releases of the year, and it was chosen by the press as “Best Jazz Album of 2023.”
Photo: Horacio Sbaraglia CCK
In addition to his solo work, Jodos leads trio and quartet ensembles, participates in collective projects such as Real Book Argentina , and maintains an intense teaching role as coordinator of the Jazz program at the Manuel de Falla Conservatory. His recent discography includes Confluence (2021), alongside Mark Helias and Barry Altschul , and Earlier Trips (2020), which showcases his versatility as an improviser. In each project, he reaffirms a central idea: that Argentine jazz can be free, rigorous, and poetic all at the same time.