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A self-described 'hybrid musician,' guitarist-composer Diamond grew up in Queens, and later in a suburb of New York City, with a rich musical heritage in his own household, before he began experiencing the cornucopia of sounds the city had to offer. "I'm half Eastern European Jewish and half Colombian. My father's a New Yorker, born and raised. He was an opera singer who studied classical piano at Juilliard, so I was listening to that music growing up. And my mother is Colombian, so I definitely grew up with that component as well." Spending two years in Colombia after graduating from high school was a kind of roots journey that led him deeper into his appreciation of Latin music. "When I moved back to the city in '99, my main focus was jazz, learning the tradition," Diamond explains. "Yet at the same time my interest in Latin music in its various forms continued further." From 2002-2013, when he lived near the intersection of Graham Avenue (aka Avenue of Puerto Rico) and Broadway in Brooklyn, Diamond would soak up the sounds of Hector Lavoe and Willie Colón blasting out of cars, apartment windows and porches in the neighborhood. "I got a good amount of inspiration living in that neighborhood, but more importantly, it represents a period of important growth," he says. Today Diamond is a product of New York City's gorgeous mosaic, and Avenida Graham is a reflection of all his varied influences that have come together organically in his music. "I devote a lot of time studying the great masters but I also try to nourish another need to listen to other kinds of genres. I try not to limit myself to one part of the spectrum. Music is a universal language and we live in a rapidly globalizing and pluralistic society - I believe that a lot of music coming out today is a reflection of that." Indeed, there's a lot going on throughout Avenida Graham, an auspicious and richly appointed outing from this promising talent on the New York scene. -- Bill Milkowski

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