Rafael Nazario

[3] Nazario's recordings range from Latin music to instrumental compositions, pop songs in English, classical-oriented piano and orchestral works.

His debut album, Patria Añorada[4] (1999, reissued 2004), contains songs in a variety of Hispanic-American styles and features lyrical and jazz-influenced arrangements.

He eventually studied at the De La Salle (Christian Brothers) School in the suburban city of Bayamón, where they lived.

Upon graduation from high school, Nazario left the island to study piano and music composition, living temporarily with his godparents in Miami, Florida.

University of Portland's Dean of Music, Philippe de la Mare, was in France that summer, visiting his former teacher,[5] Nadia Boulanger.

In this manner, Nazario gained entry to the University of Portland School of Music even though his repertoire consisted of less than a minute of Beethoven's Sonata No.

He also worked for singer-songwriter Jackson Browne as private chef during preparations for his "Lawyers in Love" album tour.

[14] Later, Nazario was to helm a trio for the live—if short-lived—KCRW broadcasts, as well as other NPR related events,[15] and was involved in the 72 Market St. Lecture Series.

[18] The clientele at 72 Market Street included a mix of celebrities and West Coast artists, literati and writers, alongside beachcombers and local denizens.

He designed the menu for Joni Mitchell's wedding reception (as consultant for Nucleus Nuance, whose owner, Bruce Veneiro was a mutual friend) and once spent an evening at the home of composer Ken Lauber teaching Bob Dylan how to play a Gershwin song.

[19] Nazario left Los Angeles for Tokyo, where he played jazz clubs in Roppongi and acted in Japanese television commercials.

As executive chef, Nazario participated in Puerto Vallarta's International Festival Gourmet along with a number of other culinary events.

[22] While living in Puerto Vallarta, Nazario wrote and designed a collection of his recipes, Sand in Your Shoes (2001), which gained the attention of the James Beard Foundation.

In August 2004, he and his crew went to New York City to prepare a dinner of Mexican haute cuisine at the James Beard House.

When he began to teach piano, his first student was Joanna Weinberg, singer, actress and musical theatre composer.