Whether you meet Gabriel electronically, live around the world or by joining him on the road in Perú, he will always be surrounded by his musical family… the band! Artists that represent every musical background join Gabriel’s unique Afro-Peruvian jazz projects. Spending time with Gabriel involves much laughter, fellowship and music making of the highest order- good grooves abound in a band brought together to explore a new cross-cultural musical language known as Afro-Peruvian jazz music. In his spare time, Gabriel can be found eating Lomo Saltado at la Peña Don Porfirio in Barranco, Lima, Peru.
Gabriel was born in Lima, Perú in 1970 into a very creative family. Gabriel’s grandfather Ciro was Peru’s most famous novelist and his father Alonso is Perú’s most acclaimed playwright. Today Gabriel is one of the most influential figures of the jazz music scene in Perú.
Musically Gabriel combines his personal approach to American jazz with a passionate interest and careful study of the music of black coastal Perú. He has contributed a uniquely Afro-Peruvian jazz music concept by incorporating and exploring the common African roots found in both styles. The results can be heard and seen on these pages.
In all of Gabriel’s music, the rich legacy of the black music of coastal Perú can be heard in the context of contemporary jazz expression. The importance of this approach has been compared to the Brazilian and Cuban musical contributions that changed jazz music in the 20th century. The 2002 AIJP records release “Un Rezo” placed many of the Afro-Peruvian rhythmic concepts solidly into the mainstream jazz language for the first time.
Gabriel’s latest recording Nuevo Mundo features collaborations from jazz stars Tierney Sutton, Bobby Shew, Russell Ferrante and Bill Watrous as well as Peru’s formidable resident Afro-Peruvian artists: Freddy “Huevito” Lobaton, Hugo Alcazar, Jocho Velazquez and Joscha Oetz. The recording is inspired on locations and situations along the rich and mysterious Peruvian coastline.
Gabriel’s most recent and varied performance credits as a trumpet player and composer span the globe and include in concert appearances and/or recordings with Maria Schneider, Placido Domingo, Ingrid Jensen, Tierney Sutton, Natalie Cole, The Lima Philharmonic, The Peruvian National Symphony, Bill Watrous, John Thomas, Russ Ferrante and Alex Acuña as well as concerts for the United Nations and various diplomatic missions from around the world. In May 2005 Gabriel conducted and recorded Didier Lockwood’s Afro-Peruvian jazz opera “Libertad” commissioned by Radio France and Opera Montpellier. Gabriel was also the subject of a documentary film about Afro-Peruvian music directed by Lonnie Goodwin.
Gabriel holds a doctorate degree in jazz studies from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree from the City University of New York and a bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College. His knowledge of Afro-Peruvian music has come from fieldwork and time continuously spent in Perú learning from the greatest exponents of the art form.
In 2000 Gabriel founded Jazz Peru Internacional (JPI), Peru’s premier jazz arts and cultural exchange organization. Through JPI, countless artists, students and music fans have toured the world. Gabriel’s goal is to spread the message of peace, love and joy found in Afro-Peruvian music.