Peruvian jazz bassist Jorge Roeder is a versatile performer with a sound steeped in classical, post-bop, and Afro-Peruvian traditions. A highly sought-after sideman since his arrival in New York in the 2000s, Roeder has worked with a wide array of performers, including guitarist Julian Lage, trombonist Ryan Keberle, and pianist Shai Maestro. In 2020, he made his solo debut with El Suelo Mio.

Born in Lima in 1980, Roeder started to learn both classical cello and electric bass guitar at the age of 14; two years later, he was invited to study cello at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Upon returning to Peru at the age of 18, he took up the double bass and in 2001 was appointed assistant principal bassist of the Lima Philharmonic and Opera orchestras. His first recording credit was on the 2000 eponymous debut album by Lima heavy metal band Ni Voz ni Voto. In 2002, Roeder gained a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied jazz performance, then moved to New York and began to play on the jazz scene, quickly gaining a reputation for his limber and responsive playing.

Roeder's first jazz recording came in 2006 on trombonist Michael Dessen's Lineal, and he went on to record and perform live with numerous and varied collaborators including accordionist Carmen Staaf, guitarists Julian Lage and Brad Shepik, saxophonist Dan Blake, vocalist Ulita Knaus, and trombonist Ryan Keberle. In 2007, he won the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition, and in 2009 he reached the semifinals of the Thelonious Monk Jazz Bass Competition. He joined Israeli pianist Shai Maestro's trio in 2011, appearing on all of their albums including their 2018 ECM debut, The Dream Thief. The following year, he again joined Lage for the guitarist's Love Hurts album. In 2020, Roeder released his debut album, the solo bass recording El Suelo Mio. ~ John D. Buchanan, Rovi