He is likely the best guitarist you have never heard. That is about to change, for Jorge Martinez is poised to take Canada by storm.

Born and raised in Argentina, this 36 year old virtuoso moved to Montreal in 1998 and is now a much-loved figure on the Quebec scene.

The seeds of his fascinating musical journey were sown at a young age in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. "You grow up differently there," recalls Jorge. "Children go to sleep at the same time as their fathers, so if there was a party we'd be up til 3 a.m.. At age six, I remember seeing a guitar in front of me and a friend of my father's started to teach me, late in the night."

Jorge's life-long love affair with the guitar then blossomed at age 14. "I started with a classical guitar. An uncle taught me some flamenco rhythms then I immediately switched to playing other kinds of music, like rock and jazz and funk and Latin. I had a neighbour listening to people like Frank Zappa. As I was starting the guitar, he'd bring me to his place everyday to listen to all kinds of music." Martinez remembers his pledge of devotion to music came at 15 and a half. "I said to my parents and myself that is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Because I was in high school, I couldn't play as much guitar as I wanted. On Fridays I'd go home, go to sleep at 11 and wake up at 2 am. During the night is when your muscles relax and things come out easily. So from Friday to Sunday I'd play guitar from 2 to 8. a.m., sleep til 12 noon, then play til I went to sleep again."

On finishing high school, Martinez increased his guitar regimen to 14 hours a day. Another early milestone came at age 18, with his first public performance. "My rock group was part of a Battle of the Bands competition, in front of 10,000 people. The stage instantly felt like a natural environment for me. I feel alive onstage, and I'm always happy to be there." Jorge's genuine love of live performance and his natural charisma are just two more key weapons in this artist's powerful arsenal.

Rather than merely reinterpreting an established repertoire, Jorge Martinez is creating his own. The bulk of the material he now performs and is recording is original. "I prefer that because I feel I have something to communicate to people. Music is a tool to express my emotions." Martinez writes the music and arrangements for the small ensemble of players he performs with, while still allowing them creative freedom. "That just helps our show reach a higher level," he notes.

After graduation, Martinez followed his heart to Montreal, home to the love of his life. "I was playing as a flamenco guitarist on one circuit, but people in the rock industry would call me for gigs and studio work too. I had two different audiences", he says. His skills as a producer and arranger were put to use on projects for a range of Latin, world music and urban artists, but Jorge is now totally committed to pursuing his own musical path. Along his journey, he has won the respect of his musical peers. Top Canadian guitarists Pavlo, Rik Emmett and Oscar Lopez were thrilled to invite Jorge onstage at one of their gigs in Quebec, while world music stars Strunz and Farah were curious about his unique guitar technique when they shared a stage. Jorge's ability to captivate a large crowd was vividly demonstrated when he opened for world music star Cesaria Evora at Place Des Arts in Montreal and for flamenco superstar Paco de Lucia at Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg.