Jen Martinez-Bre

Location: South Florida, FL

Challenge: Physical Disability

Website: instagram.com/malletmamacita

Jen Martinez-Bre is a physically disabled Peruvian/Cuban-American vibraphonist, percussionist, disability advocate, composer, festival curator and educator currently based in South Florida. Her performance style and initiatives have been commended by organizations such as the Gold Coast Jazz Society and the Percussive Arts Society in the form of scholarships and grants to continue her pursuits. In her handful of years studying, Jen has been under the tutelage of Stefon Harris and Tony Miceli - as well as local jazz heavyweights Rodolfo Zuniga, Fernando Ulibarri, Jason Hainsworth, and her original mentor Hector "Pocho" Neciosup.

Jen previously served as the Treasurer for the non-profit organization, Modern Marimba. During her term, she curated the first women in jazz vibes festival, "VibeFest", as well as the first virtual showcase of singing percussionists, "Mallets+Voice Fest" - both livestreamed on Facebook.

This past year, Jen was interviewed for Percussive Notes magazine for their Feb 2021 edition. Topics ranged from disability advocacy, Afro-Latin jazz music, and the lack of appreciation of the origins of percussion in academia. She previously served as a subcommittee member for the Accessibility Committee for the Percussive Arts Society's Diversity Alliance and currently serves as an Affiliate member of The Vibraphone Project.

More recently, Jen co-founded the ongoing translated interview/masterclass series "Mate Meetup in Espanglish" with Pauline Roberts to bridge the gap between the English and Spanish speaking music industry.