Carlos Ortiz IV attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA. There he studied classical trumpet under the direction of Galindo Rodriguez. During this time, he established himself as a versatile trumpet player performing in numerous jazz, funk and R&B bands in Louisiana as well as in Texas. Carlos was also part of the NSU Symphony where he was principal chair and co-principal of the NSU Wind Symphony. He was the first recipient of the Dave Hardin Jazz Scholarship and conducted the jazz band on numerous occasions at the Jazz R&B festival in Natchitoches, LA.
After graduating from NSU with a Bachelor in Classical Trumpet, Carlos went on to pursue his Masters in Jazz at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. There he studied with Mike Tomaro, Dr. John Wilson, and Sean Jones. While at Duquesne, Carlos again established himself as a versatile trumpet player by performing in various groups and forming his own group, Chico’s Quintet. His Quintet performed at numerous clubs in the Pittsburgh area and has performed at the Youngstown, Ohio 2011 Jazz Festival and the 2011 Guyasuta Festival in Sharpsburg, PA. Chico’s Quintet has also released their debut album “Just Music”, which is comprised of original music written by the members in the band. “Just Music” is available on iTunes, Amazon and Cdbaby.
Carlos enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2013 where he was stationed in Washington, D.C. with The Commandant’s Own, United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. Recently, he was selected to perform with the Marine Corps All-Star Jazz Band at the 2015 Monterey Jazz Festival in California. Carlos now resides in the San Diego Area with the Depot band.