Bassist and composer Aldemar Valentin is one of the most sought after bassists currently based out of Puerto Rico. He studied for two years in the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Ponce, Puerto Rico under professor Irvin Cancel. In 1999 he earned a bass performance diploma from Berklee College of Music and in 2003, his Bachelor of Music Degree. While attending Berklee, he studied under renowned jazz mentors: Oscar Stagnaro, Bruce Gertz, Hall Crook and Greg Hopkins. In May 2006, Aldemar obtained a Master's of Music degree in Jazz performance from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Besides being a performer and a composer, Aldemar has also gathered experience as a bass instructor. From 1999 to 2002, he taught in the preparatory school of the Conservatorio de Música in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and from 2000 through 2002, he was a bass instructor in the undergraduate program of the Inter American University in San Germán, Puerto Rico. Aldemar currently teaches bass-guitar at the Inter American University in San Juan, Puerto Rico and jazz ensembles at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico.
Aldemar has also played an important role internationally as an instructor in various jazz lecture series. Some of these include: The lecture series on jazz improvisation and composition held in Ecuador in the summers of 1999 and 2002 under the direction of pianist and composer Manuel Larrea. Lectures on Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music offered in West Africa (Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea and Equatorial Guinea) under the United States Department of State's "Jazz Ambassadors" program, sponsored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. and directed by Miguel Zenón (2003) and the Jazz Lecture Series (Panamá Jazz Festival, 2006) directed by Danilo Pérez, where Aldemar participated as a member of the New England Conservatory Ensemble.
He has performed with artists of the standing of Hologramª ("JazzOrden" 2010 Jazz Festival, San Juan Puerto Rico), Angel David Mattos & Jazz Boricua (Berklee Performance Center, Boston Ma, 2009), Alejandro Aviles Group (Tour through the Republic of Perú, 2008), Edsel Gomez (Inter American University Thether, San Juan Puerto Rico, 2008), Roberto Zayas (Beijing, Peoples Republic of China 2007), Danilo Pérez (Panamá Jazz Festival 2006), Néstor Torres (Tour through Japan and Taiwan, 2006), Paoli Mejías (The Triple Door, Seattle, WA. 2003) and Miguel Zenón (Tour through West Africa, 2003). In 2009, in recognition to his merits and versatility, Aldemar was featured as performer and honoree at the Mayagüez Jazz Festival.
Aldemar has appeared in various recordings, most notably: "Introspection" by Ermesc Gonzalez (2010), "Oye" by the Rhythm Collective (2009), "Memoirs from Granada" by Brenda Hopkins Miranda (2009), "Traditions" by Angel David Mattos (2007, featuring Bob Mintzer and Paquito D' Rivera), "The Panama Suite" by Danilo Pérez (2006), "Sentido Tropical" by Rique Colón (2006), "Mi Tambor" by Paoli Mejías (2005 Grammy® Award Nominated)
In 2009, Aldemar released his first solo recording: Finding My Path. The recording presents original compositions inspired by his experiences as a student under jazz masters Danilo Perez and Rakalam Bob Moses at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Finding My Path features Ricardo Pons- flute and baritone sax, Raúl Romero-Guitar and Efraín Martínez on drums.
