Gustavo Cortiñas

—

Drummer / Composer / Educator

Embracing a multicultural language, while investing in a variety of disciplines within the music itself, composer, bandleader, drummer and lyricist Gustavo Cortiñas continues to surpass himself in the breadth of his work. “Cortiñas' music is uplifting, robust, melodic, and gets your body moving; it's an exciting blend of the artist's musical influences from jazz and Latin America, including his native Mexico" (DOWNBEAT). This can be heard on his four records as a leader, "Snapshot" (2013), "a Smörgåsbord of the moods and nuances that make up the human experience," (Jazziz); "ESSE" (2017) "a fascinating musical realization, exploration, and distillation of the works of Hegel, Aristotle, Descartes, Plato, and other brilliant minds" (AllAboutJazz); and “Desafío Candente” (2021), “a musical palimpsest that carries the weight of the history of colonialism and neocolonialism of the entire southern part of the Americas” (LatinJazzNet). On his latest release, “Kind Regards / Saludos Afectuosos”, Cortiñas gives life, through music, to words that attempt to build bridges and understanding in times of borders and ignorance; words that focus on our feet and the dust on which they walk, instead of the stars under which they dream.

A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans (BM Jazz, Minor in Philosophy), and Northwestern University (MM Jazz), Gustavo Cortiñas has developed a successful career in the US for over a decade, leading and accompanying ensembles in renowned stages and festivals in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. During his time in Chicago, Gustavo has become one of the most sought out drummers, performing and recording with Javier Red’s Imagery Converter, Matt Peterson, Kitt Lyles, Erik Skov, Emily Kuhn, Michael Hudson-Casanova, Roy McGrath, Kyle Madsen, and the Carla Campopiano Trio, among other ensembles. Cortiñas is a member of the Chicago Jazz Composer's Collective, performing regularly for their monthly residency at Chicago's very own Green Mill. Gustavo Cortiñas is a proud endorser of Canopus Drums & Bosphorus Cymbals, and has been recipient of grants from the Mexican National Endowment of the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. His album Desafío Candente, a sprawling meditation on Latin American life and struggles, earned a well-deserved spot in Jazziz Magazine’s list of the 2021’s Best Releases, and was listed among the Jazz Journalist’s Association Top Latin Jazz Albums of 2021, among other critical praise.

Born and raised in Mexico, son to a Uruguayan university professor and a Mexican elementary school teacher, Cortiñas grew up surrounded by books of all kinds, ranging from religion and philosophy, to history, economics and art. Music was just as diverse: be it through voice of Chavela Vargas, Wagner’s operas, the revolutionary cry of Rock en Español, or the soothing songs of Edith Piaf, music of all kinds was always there. At age 10, he fell in love with the drums, and was soon seduced by the syncopated and improvised beat of Jazz. This love inspired a journey far from home. First traveling to New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and later Chicago, the place he now calls home. This journey set the foundation for his work: Latin American folklore, classical music, and jazz; philosophy, religion and the Latin American cry for justice. These experiences and streams of inspiration forge the unique voice of an expansive artist who will continue to defy categorization in many years to come.

Tags

Gustavo Cortiñas Drums Chicago

Album Review

Snapshot by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
Snapshot by Dan Bilawsky
Snapshot by Jack Bowers
Snapshot by Florence Wetzel
Snapshot by Greg Simmons
Esse by Dan Bilawsky
Kind Regards by Hrayr Attarian

"Cortiñas is a highly musical and grooving drummer, as well as a laudable composer... his music is surprisingly danceable...groove-shifter, high-energy precision soloing, framed by vivid ideas. A joyful meeting of mind and spirit". MODERN DRUMMER “Cortiñas' music is uplifting, robust, melodic, and gets your body moving; it's an exciting blend of the artist's musical influences from jazz and Latin America, including his native Mexico.” DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE COULEURS JAZZ - FRANCE: "Esse is a masterstroke." Hraryr Attarian - Chicago Jazz Magazine: "With the cohesive and captivating Esse, Cortiñas has created superb work that balances refreshingly inventive ideas with high-caliber musicianship. This exquisite and continuously gripping record is a testament to Cortiñas’ triple threat of skills as dynamic performer, agile bandleader and brilliant composer." Dan Bilawski - AAJ: "A fascinating musical realization, exploration, and distillation of the works of Hegel, Aristotle, Descartes, Plato, and other brilliant minds...statements that are both studious and thought-provoking in nature...Gustavo Cortinas has worked everything out in his musical neck of the woods." Hobart Taylor - KUCI: "This is ensemble work at the highest level. The compositions are thoughtful, engaging, and heartfelt.The tunes sound super fresh, sui generis." Peter Margasak - Chicago Reader: "Patient attacks and painterly details, all articulated by his warm and generous band." Chris Spector - MIDWEST RECORD: "With the forward kind of thinking that tempts you to label him as Tito Puente III, you can dance, you can listen and you can enjoy this thoroughly throughout." Paul Abella, WDCB - Chicago: "This is a really wonderful disc, filled with some young heavy hitters from Chicago's jazz scene... Together, they make some magic on these heady compositions." Johnny Vidacovic: “Really slick. First class stuff. Great tunes. All the solos are easy smooth and not show off shit. Everybody is one for the music on this record. There is a tremendous amount of dedication and surrender to the music here as the band moves as one collective through the orchestral nature of this music… a very colorful and emotional musical trip... There is no one player that is better than another, they all together make the great musician who plays this music...”. Jeff-Dayton Johnson - AAJ: "With Snapshot, drummer Gustavo Cortiñas... a young artist seeks to craft a meaningful and representative musical statement and calling card. Snapshot is an understated and confident record... adventurous soloing and arrangements prevent things from growing dull... Cortiñas is restrained, marked by the same quiet self-assurance that imbues the record overall. He holds off from any extended soloing or overt displays of technical prowess for several tracks, preferring to lend a variety of rhythmic supports to the group performances. When he does step out front in the solo... he remains controlled and intelligent... the song and the sentiment it conveys suggest that the time is right for this solid and satisfying record." AAJ Download of the Day Editor's Comments: "Punchy, polished virtuosity from Gustavo Cortiñas and company. If this was a UK post bop band, it might consist of Clark Tracey/Nigel Hitchcock/Guy Barker." Victor Vieyra Santamaría - MIRADA SUR: "from Chicago came Gustavo Cortiñas' Quartet, with a swing that slid through the different emotional states that life has given him; this quartet and each of Gustavo's compositions are a musical voyage throughout different landscapes...and what can we say of young and talented master Gustavo, who despite the fact that he moved up north, he never lost track of the roots that bind him to Mexican Culture, quite the contrary, he has become a link between contrasting musical sceneries, without mentioning the fact that he is a genius of rhythm, and talented composer, basing his performance of this memorable night on his most recent discographic production: Snapshot". Jorge Ricardo - Reforma Mexico: "He named his debut album Snapshot: quintets, quartets, a trio and a solo performance that attempt to capture, like a "snapshot," the fleetingness of life...the result is one of those albums that you want to play back at the end of each piece...a music that is played, listened, and lived in community, that evokes collaboration, dialogue between parts, a constant push and pull, and a neverending array of possibilities that are consumed in the present through collective improvisation.". Cristina Zenteno - El Heraldo de Chiapas: "In front of a large audience, Gustavo Cortiñas' "Snapshot" performed yesterday by invitation of El Consejo Estatal para las Culturas y las Artes (Coneculta). Gustavo Cortiñas and his quartet, featuring Roy McGrath, Justin Copeland y Kitt Lyles chose to charm the stage of El Centro Cultural Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo with their sounds. The concert was little over an hour, and that was enough top send the audience home satisfied with the execution of "Snapshot," which was without a doubt a great performance of a kind and calibre that we scarcely get to witness in our state.

Show less

Primary Instrument

Drums

Location

Chicago

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Master of Music in Jazz Studies - Northwestern University - 2013 Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, Minor in Philosophy - Loyola University New Orleans, Magna Cum Laude, 2013 Combo instructor and guest artist at Northwestern University (Evanston, iL) Percussion/Drum set instructor at Flatts & Sharpe Music Academy (Chicago, IL) Part time Teaching at UCAN Academy (Chicago, IL) Supply teacher at the EDRON Academy, El Colegio británico during the school years of 2006-07 and 2007-08 teaching various subjects including music, mathematics, English, Spanish and history, and invigilating IGCSE and IB examinations. Drum instructor at EDRON Academy, El Colegio Británico through the academic years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 as head and founder of the Drum and Percussion Club. Private Drum Instructor since 2004 to present.