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The Jamaica, Queens native and jazz musician moved to the borough 8 years ago and can’t see himself doing anything other than performing.
“There’s a whole spiritual aura that I get from playing,” said Riveros, a music teacher at the 92nd Street Y and at a small school in Eastchester, N.Y. “It keeps me going.”
The stage is often where Riveros feels most alive. It’s where he forms connections with his bandmates, the audience and himself.
“First and foremost I love playing my music and hoping that the people watching like it and that it makes them feel good," Riveros said.
He described his music as electric jazz with Afro-Cuban influences, drawing inspiration from Miles Davis, Wes Mongomery and Pat Martino — to name a few.
“Then it’s the chemistry, communication and dialogue between myself and the band," Riveros said.
Writing, rearranging or adding new music gives Riveros reason to perform again and again.
Riveros' band recently performed in the Edgewater Music and Arts Festival.
“I search for those good moments,” he said. “The ones that just feel really good.
"I need to have that."
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