On Saturday, May 5 El Camino College hosted ¡!Fiesta de Jazz!, a jazz festival that has been celebrated for the past five years in the Marsee Auditorium.

The jazz festival is an all day event showcasing a variety of jazz performers as well as a workshop for those thinking of pursuing a career in music.

“As a music student (at El Camino) I love coming to events like this,” Julia Magdelian, 23, music major said. “It reminds me of why I want to perform.”

Outside of the auditorium, foods from different countries were available for anyone that was hungry.

“My family’s truck has been apart of this for three years now,” Manual Esparza, 21, business major said. “It’s a good way to try different stuff, there’s so much culture here from the music to the food,” Esparza said.

The pre-performance food appeared to hype up the crowd because as soon as the lights dimmed and the first set of performers were on stage, the crowd cheered loudly.

Two jazz groups from Palos Verdes and Lawndale High School performed first before the Afro Peruvian Jazz Orchestra took the stage.

“We started this group two years ago inspired by Afro-Peruvian music,” Anibal Seminario, group member of the Afro Peruvian Jazz Orchestra said.

The group was created by both Anibal Seminario and Lorenzo Ferreo who felt like incorporating Jazz and Peruvian music would be something new.

“We intended to mix jazz with Peruvian style of music,” Seminario said. “We felt at the time that it hasn’t been done before.”

The audience excitement grew even more once a Peruvian dancer appeared during the third song.

“I have been following the group for a awhile now,” Stephanie Cruz, 25, music major said. “As someone that is half Peruvian this is great. I love seeing my culture mixed in with music.”