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Julio Alejandro Ortiz is a musical artist from the beautiful American southwest and northern Mexico border region. Being multi-cultural and multi-lingual, there were many more influences to be drawn from.
Amazingly, Julio Ortiz did not begin to play music until he was 19 years of age, a relatively late start in this day and age...and even more amazing, by the end of that year, he was nearly a master at his craft. A natural, some would say, born with a singing soul. Since then, Julio has accomplished degrees and awards from both The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences and New Mexico State University, the former for a Master Recording Program, the latter for Theater Arts. The theater is a parallel love for Julio, having performed in over 40 productions, film and stage, with a fondness, despite the overpopularity, for William Shakespeare's works, nothing quite like it. He has also published his original works as well, and seen them performed in community theaters and universities. Attending the Conservatory was very helpful for Julio, as his mind was opened to what happens "on the other side of the glass." "Understanding both the artistic and technical methods of music allows one to thoroughly imagine and manifest a sonic masterpiece at its conception."
With a catalogue of hundreds of songs, Julio maintains that it is the "gifts" he prefers most. "There are certian songs that simply come to you, be it in a dream or in a mindless state, ...out of nowhere they appear, as though they were a gift from the muses." Julio Ortiz's live performance are always intimate, no matter the size of venue...it is captivating, enchanting and inspires an instant sense of melancholy and nostalgia. His voice, like that of a mockingbird, smoothly transitions from breathy whispers to haunting screams, always with emotional sincerity and melodic intent.
Julio has recorded at the famous Electric Lady studios in New York, created by the legend, Jimi Hendrix, "...it was surreal to be in the same room where nearly every great influence of mine had once been...at one point, while recording 'Lover, Come Back', eyes closed, I could feel the echoes of their spirits in the room...it was very encouraging you know?" Having never received musical training, Julio says he prefers being a self taught musican, claiming, "it leaves much more room for the possibility of the mystical, less dread of error, and a boundless realm for imagination." Besides, he adds that his "teachers were Jimi Hendrix, Paco de Lucia, Jim Morrison, Sarah Vaughn, etc. etc. I learned everything I know from them, they are the colors on my pallette, it is from them I paint my masterpieces."
Having internalized all from which he draws, Julio has refined, through his own alchemy, a diverse and spanning style which can only be classified as his. The music is unmistakable and it summons the soul, allowing the mind and its consciousness to escape. "To sing, and sing with full sincerity and emotion, I have found that I must remove myself and allow the music and inspiration to flow through without impedance or inhibition. ."