El Eco with Guillermo Nojechowicz

EL ECO with Guillermo Nojechowicz -- the Brazilian-Argentine jazz ensemblethat has been called "the seedbed" of much of the Latin jazz scene in theNortheast (US)-- performed live on NPR's "Jazz Set" with host vocalist DeeDee Bridgewater earlier this year.The Brazilian Argentinean jazz ensemble, based in Boston and New York City,offers true world music at its best. Their material is strikingly original,delivered with strong vocals, percussive drive, and real lyric focus.

Their upcoming SCULLER'S peformance will feature Grammy Award vocalistKim Nazarian. EL ECO combines the warm and lustrous sounds of samba andcandombe with the tighter lines of bebop and straight-ahead jazz, darkenedby echoes of Piazolla. A drummer, Nojechowicz writes from the beat,delivering a complex mix of Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Bossa Nova,and Funkrhythms.

EL ECO's sound is both intimate and explosive, driven by the freedom ofmusicians who have performed together for years. These world class playersknow each other's vibes, moods, and moves. With solo work andimprovisation that excites and surprises, EL ECO offers music that crossesfrontiers.

EL ECO's band leader BIO:Guillermo Nojechowicz (No-hay-cho-wees) is a composer and a drummer.The son of an actress and a painter, he was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.He was raised surrounded by the tango of Astor Piazzolla, the rock songs ofLuis Alberto Spinetta, and the jazz of Oscar Peterson.

While in Argentina, he played with many well known artists and recorded forCBS with the rock group Rayuela. He then attended the National Conservatoryof Music Lopez Buchardo. A Fullbright scholarship recipient, he moved to theUS in 1980 to study at Berklee College of Music where he received a degree inFilm Scoring.

His group EL ECO was recently featured on National Public Radio's Jazz Setwith host Dee Dee Bridgewater (Tony and Grammy winner vocalist). His bandhas performed at many venues and festivals including the Montreal JazzFestival in Canada, Freihofer Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, Blue Notein New York City and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is now gettingnational and international attention. Recently EL ECO performed at TellurideJazz Celebration in Colorado with guest Airto Moreira. On this festival hisgroup performed along artists like Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Airtoand Flora Purim.

From 1987 to 1993, Guillermo was an artist in residence at the AmericanRepertory Theatre in Cambridge,MA where he worked with film composerElliot Goldenthal (Frida) and director Andrei Serban. Most recently he wroteoriginal music for “Paradise Found: Phoenix Islands,” a New EnglandAquarium World of Water Film, sponsored by the National GeographicMagazine and directed by Kate Raisz. Guillermo also wrote music for the TVspecial "Growing up on a Fast Forward" for Boston's ABC affiliate WCVB-TVproduced by Debra Shapiro. This special got the National Gabriel and PeabodyAward. Guillermo's music has been also featured on PBS (La Plaza) and on thenews program "Chronicle" (WCVB-TV).

Guillermo has performed with Carly Simon, Claudio Roditi (Dizzy Gillespie),Jon Faddis, Danilo Perez, Airto Moreira, Tiger Okoshi, Cafe, RomeroLubambo, Walter Vanderlei, Hendrik Meurkens (Ivan Lins) and Pedro Aznar(Pat Metheny), among others. He has also taught at the New EnglandConservatory and at Berklee College of Music. He teaches drums at The DrumStudio in Boston and at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School where herecently established the high school’s first Drum Line and World JazzEnsemble. Guillermo has studied with Charlie Banacos, Herb Pomeroy,Duduka DaFonseca, Gary Chaffee and Portinho in the US and with BeatrizTabares and Chiche Heger in Argentina.

Gear

Yamaha Drums