2007 Grammy award nominee Edsel Gómez is today one of the premier Latin Jazz pianists in the world. Born in Puerto Rico in 1962, he began piano studies at age five. He grew up in a musical environment that allowed him to master afro-Caribbean rhythms in depth, working since childhood with an incredible array of Latin music idols such as Marvin Santiago, Celia Cruz, Carlos “Patato” Valdes, Santitos Colon, Cheo Feliciano, Roberto Roena, Willie Colon, Ismael Rivera Jr., Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Olga Guillot, Lola Flores, Marco Antonio Muñiz, among many others. He gained a Bachelor of Music Degree at Berklee College of Music with a Count Basie Award for outstanding musicianship in 1985 while expanding his performance credits working with such renown Jazz artists as Gary Burton, Claudio Roditi, Bill Pierce, Don Byron, Chick Corea and Jerry Gonzalez, and many more!
Relocated to Brazil from 1986 to 1996 Edsel Gómez studied Brazilian Music extensively and worked accompanying such renown artists as Cauby Peixoto, Wilson Simonal, Paulinho da Viola, Amelinha, Caetano Veloso, Joao Bosco, Lucinha Lins, Angela Maria and Trombonist Raul de Souza, recording de Souza’s “The other side of the moon” (BMG, Brazil). Within the Brazilian landscape he worked as a Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor/Musical Director of Broadway-like shows, educator, producer and managed his own recording studio/production company. Within a short time, most Brazilian musicians considered him “one of ours.” Gomez’s personal approach to fusing jazz, Latin and Brazilian music gives him a unique personality and musical voice.
Since relocating to New York in 1997, Edsel Gómez has been featured in saxophonist David Sanchez’s Grammy nominated albums, Obsesión, Melaza, Travesía (Sony/Columbia), and a fourth, the Grammy-winning Coral (with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra); Clarinetist Don Byron’s Tuskeegee Experiments (Elektra/Nonesuch,1994), Music for Six Musicians and You Are Number Six (Blue Note); and Richard Bona’s Scenes from My Life and Reverence (Sony/Columbia). Edsel has released an album dedicated to the music of Chico Buarque (Mixhouse, Brazil) and recorded the album Cubist Music for Zoho Music, produced by Don Byron.
Edsel tours around the world as Dee Dee Bridgewater’s pianist/arranger, and other projects include Jack DeJohnette’s “Latin Project” featuring Giovanni Hidalgo, Don Byron, Luisito Quintero and Jerome Harris; Conrad Herwig’s “Latin Side of Miles” featuring Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Valentin, Brian Lynch, Richie Flores, Mario Rivera, Robbie Ammeen and John Benitez; and a collaboration with vocalist Janis Siegel.
