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Guillermo Bazzola

Argentine guitarist, composer, writer and educator

About Me

Guillermo Bazzola (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1962) Guitarist, composer, educator and music reviewer, Guillermo Bazzola is one of the key names of the “New Jazz from Argentina” of the ‘90s. Since then, he has developed an impressive career both as a guitarist and composer, covering a wide range of styles including: classic swing & bebop, electric jazz rock, new tango and free improvisation, among others. Guillermo is mostly self-taught. In addition, he has attended clinics and seminars with Jim Hall, Peter Sprague and Marc Copland among others. His private studies include lessons with John Abercrombie, and music theory and harmony with Pedro Aguilar. Guillermo has played with the most important musicians in Argentina and with visiting artists such as Conrad Herwig, Sid Jacobs and Jane Blackstone. Guillermo has recorded five albums under his own name all of them containing original compositions. The last, “Lost & Found”, is a personal tribute to the music of Canadian trumpet player and composer Kenny Wheeler. Also with pianist Ernesto Jodos and with singer Eleonora Eubel. His music has been played in the United States as well as in Italy and Germany. Since 2002 Guillermo has resided in Madrid and divides his time between teaching guitar, jazz combo and improvisation, and playing with different groups, most frequently with the highly praised Gnu Trio (guitar - Guillermo Bazzola, saxophone - Marcelo Peralta and drums - Andrés Litwin). Guillermo has recently worked as a sideman with bass player David Friesen, pianist Franco D’Andrea, singers Monika Heidemann and Cristina Mora and guitarists John Stowell and Steve Brown. As a result of a 2013 New York state tour, Steve Brown and Guillermo recorded a duo album “Una Pequeña Alegría,” which has been accepted for eligibility in the Grammy Award nomination category for “Best Jazz CD”. In 2014, along with bassist Risto Vuolanne and drummer Fernando Lamas, he formed the trio Kotka. Kotka recorded two albums (”Frei” and “Plateaux”), played in different cities of Spain, Portugal and toured Finland twice, where a third album, next to be released, was recorded along Finnish saxophone masters Juhani Aaltonen and Eero Koivistoinen.

DISCOGRAPHY As Leader or co-leader Guillermo Bazzola Summer Quartet, “3D” (PAI 3022) PAI Records, 1999 Guillermo Bazzola/Ernesto Jodos, “Long Ago” (Clásica 0047) Revista Clásica, 2000 Guillermo Bazzola Summer Quartet, “Alas” (BAU 1142) BAU Records, 2003 Gnu Trio “Gnu Trio”, (GNU 001) Gnu Town, 2009 Steve Brown/Guillermo Bazzola, “Una Pequeña Alegría” (BC9508) Brown Cats, 2014 Guillermo Bazzola “Hora Libre” (BARCD163) BlueArt, 2014 Freelloa Ensemble (VS020) Vector Sounds, 2016 Kotka “Frei” (GNU 002), Gnu Town, 2017 Guillermo Bazzola “Rebound” (GNU 003) , Gnu Town, 2017 Guillermo Bazzola “Lost & Found” (GNU 004), Gnu Town 2020 Kotka “Plateaux” (2014, digital edition by Unseen Rain Records) Kotka + 2 (Juhani Aaltonen, Eero Koivistoinen) (2017, to be released) Daniel Carter/Guillermo Bazzola/Joe Hertenstein “NY Sessions” (recorded 2013, to be released) As Sideman Marcelo Peralta, “Milonga” (CDM 014) Melopea , 1997 Eleonora Eubel “Full Moon” (EU101) 2000 Eleonora Eubel “Esthesia” (EU102) 2002 Cristina Mora “Bajo la Piel” (FC17CD) Free Code, 2007 Patricia Clark “Made in Spain” (SJ01) Spain Jazz 2012