Eddie Gomez

Edgar " Eddie" Gomez ( born October 4, 1944 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is an American jazz bassist.

Biographical

Eddie Gomez moved at a young age with his family from Puerto Rico to New York City. At age eleven, he began to play bass. Two years later, he admitted to the New York City High School of Music and Art, and soon after took bass lessons with Fred Zimmermann. During this time he has played in many formations and was a member of the Newport Youth Band conducted by Marshall Brown. At eighteen, he played in a trio of Marian McPartland and Paul Bley. Gomez continued his bass studies at the Julliard School of Music. There he met musicians such as Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, James Levine and others, with whom he played over and over again in the course of his work. After the third year of his training, he decided to become a professional jazz musician's career and was a member of Gerry Mulligan Quartet.

1966 Bill Evans was aware of the young musicians and engaged him in his trio. Eddie Gomez played the following ten years of success in this occupation, with whom he had many recordings and performances in the U.S., Europe and Asia. During this time he also played with Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. In 1977, Gomez the Bill Evans Trio, in order to take on new musical challenges. He collaborated with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea and others. In the field of classical music Eddie Gomez played with the Kronos Quartet, the ensemble Tashi and the clarinetist Richard Stoltz man with whom he performed, among others, Bach's Goldberg Variations.

Since 1992, Gomez works with his own band, the pianist Stefan Karlsson and belong to the drummer Jimmy Cobb. He also composed music for film and television. He is the artistic director at the Conservatory of Puerto Rico, where he is Professor and Artist in Residence since 2005. He also taught at prestigious institutions such as Stanford University, North Texas State University and the Berklee College of Music. Gomez gives master classes at various international universities and conservatories. 2013 Gomez received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in Valencia.