I moved to New York in the mid ‘90’s, a time when a new generation of musicians was converging on the city. New sounds and ideas flourished, most notably at Smalls, where bands had the opportunity to develop their music through weekly gigs. Of all the incredible experiences I had hearing music then, some of the most moving and profound were the nights when Guillermo Klein played with his group, Los Guachos. It was like nothing I had heard before. Ethereal yet accessible, Guillermo’s music is rich in detail, combining rhythmic and contrapuntal intensity with flights of pure melodic joy. He writes music for big bands that is not Big Band music, drawing as freely from Stravinsky, Bach and pop music as he does from Latin American folkloric music and jazz.
— Reid Anderson, from his blog Do the Math
Photo, courtesy of DMWyllie on Flickr.
‘Con Brasi’ and ‘Fugue X’ from Los Gauchos III. Composed by Guillermo Klein.
Guillermo Klein, piano | Diego Urcola, trumpet | Taylor Haskins, trumpet | Miguel Zenon, also sax | Chris Cheek, tenor sax | Bill McHenry, tenor sax | Sandro Tomassi, trombone | Ben Monder, guitar | Fernando Huergo, bass | Matt Pavolka, contrabass | Jeff Ballard, drums | Marlon Browden, drums
