César Páucar is a Peruvian guitarist whose musical styles range from classical to flamenco, from Latin to folk.  Although his roots are in Peruvian guitar music, Cesar’s compositions encompass the many rhythms and sounds he grew up listening to, a musical mix as eclectic as world music has come to be known.  

 

He began performing during his teens as a flamenco guitarist in Peru, accompanying singers and dancers in Peruvian tablaos with the flamenco-jazz group “Raíces Flamencas.”  At the same time, he studied Andean guitar with renowned guitarist Raúl García Zárate, a close friend of the family.  García Zárate wasn’t his only guitar teacher, as César pursued his interest in flamenco music studying with Víctor Meléndez (founder of “Raíces Flamencas”) and also studied the Afro-Peruvian rhythms of the coast with Félix Casaverde.  

 

César left Perú in 1992 to attend Florida Atlantic University where he received Bachelors and Masters degrees in Latin American Literature.  He has performed all across South Florida as a solo guitarist and worked with Latin-jazz guitar duo Strunz and Farah on transcriptions of their music.  Jorge Strunz has commented that "Cesar is a great guitarist whose work is original and refreshingly folkloric." 

 

César has three solo recordings available: 2002’s “Rumbos Rítmicos” (Rhythm Roads) which showcases a variety of rhythms from coastal Peru and the Andes mountains, and 2003’s “Palahia Street” with rhythms from Latin America, ranging from Afro-Cuban to South American.  He is a requested guitarist for the Regent Seven Seas Cruise line of passenger ships, having performed on the RSSC Voyager in 2005 and 2006 and the RSSC Mariner in the spring of 2007, traveling throughout the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.  César’s third solo outing is entitled “De Amanecida” (At Dawn’s Door) consisting of Peruvian music with the collaboration of several renowned Peruvian artists’ such as Julio Tirado, Saywa, Lourdes Cárhuaz, and Rosa Guzmán. 

 

In 2008 César performed in Miami, Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Peru with Saywa and Damaris, who won two Silver Seagulls at the Latin Music Festival in Viña del Mar, Chile.  In 2009, César is special guest on a concert by Saywa in Lima, Peru, performing in an acoustic segment, as a featured soloist, and once again with Damaris.  Also in 2009, Cesar received two JPF Music Award nominations for Best South and Central American album for “De amanecida” (At Dawn’s Door) and Best South and Central American song for “Lima vestida de gris” (Lima Dressed In Gray) from the same album.  

 

Cesar was the featured instrumentalist and guitarist/vocalist for Celebrity cruise lines, sailing and performing all across Europe, the Caribbean, and South America in 2012 and 2013.  In between cruising, Cesar released a fourth CD entitled "Days At Sea" on May 10, 2013.  The new release consists of solo guitar works as well as improvisations with loops, a staple of Cesar's live act.  After performing locally in South Florida during the year 2014, Cesar became the featured solo entertainer aboard the Star Princess cruise ship from January to March of 2015.  Currently, Cesar is back performing all across Florida as well as performances in his hometown of Peru.

 

For live performances, César brings a latin-jazz approach to Peruvian music, frequently performing with a looper, an effects device used by such greats as Phil Keaggy and Jaco Pastorious.  It is his intention to “bring Peru’s music to a broader audience by making it accessible not only as traditional folk music, but also as a fusion with other great instruments and rhythms found in other cultures.”