Born: February 22, 1973 Primary Instrument: Guitar
Based in Boston, USA, Gustavo Assis-Brasil began playing the guitar at the age of 13. He attended the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, to get his bachelor in classical guitar in 1995. During those years, he worked as a studio musician, private teacher and played with some important bands and projects (Nocet, Bichofolha duo w/Guilherme Barros) In 1995 he was featured in Guitar Player Magazine - USA (Spotlight session). In 1999 he got a full scholarship to get his Master Degree In Jazz at Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory. His main teachers were Mick Goodrick (Gary Burton Quartet, Pat Metheny), Wayne Krantz (Leni Stern, Steely Dan, Michael Brecker), Hal Crook, Ed Tomassi, Dave Fiucsynski (Screaming Headless Torsos), Rick Peckham, Larry Baione, and the South Indian ‘guru’ Prasanna. Gustavo also had master-classes/lessons with Pat Metheny, Frank Gambale, Mike Stern, Dave Liebman and John Scofield. Gustavo also studied improvisation and composition privately with the late jazz-guru Charlie Banacos. From 2001 until 2006, Gustavo played/toured the renowned group the Dig Trio. Gustavo is the director of the Jazz and Contemporary Music Ensembles and is a faculty member of the Cambridge School of Weston. He also teaches at Berklee College of Music’s Guitar Sessions since 2006. Also as a teacher, Gustavo taught clinics at GIT, Guitar Institute of Technology, Los Angeles, CA; University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA; UFRGS, Brazil; Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil; University of Passo Fundo, Brazil. In 2005, Gustavo released the book Hybrid Picking for Guitar. This book is the first method entirely dedicated to the art of combining pick and fingers to play the guitar. The book is in its 3rd edition and it has been receiving praise worldwide. In 2008, he released the follow up book Hybrid Picking Exercises: Single Note Permutations, with more than 1,400 different exercises based entirely on math permutations. Also in 2008, Gustavo released a live DVD/CD combo called “In Concert” where he features original compositions. Also in 2008, he was invited by ESC Records (Germany) to write and record an arrangement of Steely Dan’s “Aja”, to be part of a tribute CD called Maestros of Cool. The CD was released in USA and Europe. In 2009, Gustavo was invited to participate in the project Mahavishnu Re- Defined - a Tribute to John Mclaughlin & the Mahavishnu Orchestra along with other important jazz artists. In 2010 was featured as the soundtrack composer for the feature Brazilian movie “Manhã Tranfigurada”. The movie is also available on DVD with his full soundtrack, which is also being released at the same time. In this same year, Gustavo started a Solo Guitar Project. With this project, he performs original compositions as well as Jazz standards and Brazilian arrangements on acoustic and electric guitar without any accompaniment. Gustavo performed/recorded with John Stowell, Tim Pascoal, Frank Potenza, Richard Smith, Sandro Albert, Hiromi, Tony Grey (John Mclaughlin), Prasanna, Greg Hopkins, Brett Wilmott, Mauricio Zottarelli, Tony Gaboury, Matthew Nicholl, Tim Ries (Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Steve Wonder), Nelson Faria (João Bosco), Jose Pienasola (Elis Regina, Romero Lubambo, Leny Andrade), Marina Elali, Michael Farquharson, Hiroaki Honshuku, Dough Johnson, Natalie Dietrich, Fernando Huergo, Dan Moretti among others.
Last Updated: August 23, 2010
...[Hiro Honshuku] is supported superbly by Gustavo Assis-Brasil on guitar
and José Pienasola on bass; this ensemble listens to each other, and the result
is a very worthwhile musical experience.
George Russell, jazz legend, author of The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal
Organization
...It is stunning. One of the best new recordings we have heard this year.
Souvik Dutta - www.abstractlogix.com 2003
Recognized for his unique stylings and innovative approaches(...).
Lee Prosser, Jazzreview.com
...Gustavo shows a very intelligent way of legato playing and open triads (...).
Spotlight , Guitar Player Magazine, February 1998
...With advanced ideas...Gustavo innovates blending Brazilian music with
jazz-rock and experimental music.(...) Gustavo shows maturity, good taste
and an amazing phrasing.
Guitar Player Magazine, October 2003
It is rare to find young guitarists with maturity of masters. This is the case of
Gustavo Assis-Brasil. He sent us one of the best works ever presented in this
column…
Regis Tadeu, Cover Guitar Magazine, 1997
I was very impressed with this album. This CD has a great mix of tunes from
Fusion to Brazilian latin to tasty brush playing. The sound recording was also
very nicely produced. Very Cool CD!
George Shepherd - Drum ProJazz Magazine
Dazzling!!
M. Varney, Spotlight, Guitar Player Magazine, 1995
What impressed me right from the first listen was the way the 3 (Dig Trio) of
them play together, blending with a level of sensitivity and group dynamic
often lacking in bands with such highly skilled individuals.
Chris Aranosian - www.GodsofMusic.com
Great CD! Strong grooves, beautiful compositions, and masterful
improvisations fusing a wide range of elements including Rock, Funk, Latin,
and Contemporary Jazz. A must for those interested in progressive and lyrical
instrumental music. An impressive display of power and versatility from three
very talented musicians.
Bret Willmott, guitar great, Berklee College of Music
Who is this Dig Trio that I speak of? How could I have the nerve to relate them
to jazz greats like Hancock and Corea? It wouldn’t be fair to clump them in a
group with other musicians because that would hide Dig Trio’s uniqueness. In
fact, I can safely say that during these times of famous album reissues and
old jazz greats packing in small NYC clubs lies an original band, Dig Trio.
Blending jazz, funk, rock, and Latin with a hint of Brazilian into their
compositions, Dig Trio unleashes improvisations into their progressive sound
with ease.
Alec DeSocio - CdReviews.com
Assis-Brasil’s writing and playing are exceptional. His sound, phrasing and
harmonic sense are impeccable.
Just Jazz Guitar Magazine
Feast your ears! The Dig Trio offers up a truly special blend of jazz rock
fusion music. Their musical explorations into funk, samba, and swing, to
name a few, show a deep respect for their musical roots while pushing the
envelope full speed ahead in a modern direction. These are three superb
musicians worth checking out!
Rod Morgenstein, legendary drummer
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