[photo credit: Jones Coffee Roasters]
Described by one local publication as part of a broader push to expand the accordion’s musical territory, Oropesa treats the instrument as both experiment and conversation. In a recent recording session, he explained that he does “a lot of yanin” on his accordion to see whether he can make listeners “hear it differently,” bringing the curiosity of a scholar to a street-corner instrument.
Jones Coffee Roasters, a family-run company that roasts beans in-house at 693 S. Raymond Ave., has built a full weekly music program around acts like Oropesa, jazz trios and blues pianists, making live performance as much a draw as the coffee. For Oropesa, the gig is as social as it is musical; he has said that playing there lets him “meet my people,” even if he still has to pay for his own cup.
Stanley Oropesa Performs will run on Friday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m. Jones Coffee Roasters, 693 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 564-9291 or visit https://www.jonescoffeeroasters.com/pages/events.
