Guillermo Marigliano’s musical path is as intricate and expressive because the phrasing that defines his work. With over thirty years spent composing, performing, and mentoring throughout continents, the Argentinian-born, Los Angeles-based guitarist displays on his evolving artistry on this wide-ranging dialog. From the emotional weight of his solo acoustic mission to the rhythmic insights formed by educating worldwide, Marigliano discusses what it means to create with objective whereas carrying the soul of his roots.
On this interview, he speaks with readability and heat in regards to the transition from ensemble efficiency to introspective solo work, the nuances of improvisation for newcomers, and the interaction between his many inventive hats.
You’ve devoted over three a long time to composing, performing, and educating music throughout continents. How has your Argentinian heritage continued to form your inventive instincts since relocating to Los Angeles?
My Argentinian heritage continues to be an enormous affect on my inventive instincts, even after a couple of years of dwelling in Los Angeles. I grew up immersed in a wealthy musical tradition — from tango and folklore to jazz and latin music — and that emotional depth and rhythmic nuance nonetheless form how I play, compose, and even train. Right here in L.A., surrounded by so many world sounds, I’ve discovered new methods to mix that basis with different influences. That sense of id comes by in my phrasing, my harmonic decisions, and the best way I strategy improvisation.
Whether or not I’m composing, performing, or educating, that Argentine spirit of soulful expression and rhythmic complexity travels with me. It helps me join with numerous audiences and college students on a deeper degree, bringing authenticity and a world perspective to my music
Your solo guitar mission set for launch in 2025 focuses on introspective themes by Spanish acoustic guitar and Latin American grooves. What led you to discover extra reflective terrain this time round?
This new mission grew out of a really private place. After years of performing energetic, rhythm-driven music, I by no means left the Spanish guitar. This instrument represents the soul of the Latin American music, felt a robust pull to decelerate and specific myself extra in a solo scenario somewhat than inside a band. The Spanish acoustic guitar naturally lends itself to that type of intimacy — it permits house, silence, and nuance to breathe. I’ve additionally been reflecting rather a lot on my journey: relocating, adapting to a brand new tradition, and rising each as an artist and an individual. The Latin American grooves are nonetheless there, however they help a extra introspective voice this time — one which’s grounded, looking out, and trustworthy. It’s music that invitations the listener right into a quieter, extra contemplative house, and that felt like the appropriate route for the place I’m in my life proper now.
Guitar Multiverse was praised for its emotional depth and technical cultivation. What private or musical experiences fed into the themes you explored on that album?
Guitar Multiverse was actually a end result of years of expertise, musically and personally. It was written throughout a time of deep transition in my life, after shifting to the U.S. and beginning over in a brand new surroundings. That emotional depth naturally poured into the music. Technically, I pushed myself additional than ever earlier than, drawing from jazz, classical, and Latin American traditions, however all the time in service of the sensation. Every bit explores a unique “universe” — not simply stylistically, however emotionally. Some tracks specific pleasure and connection, others dive into solitude or longing. I needed the album to replicate the total spectrum of human expertise, and my guitar turned the car to journey by these inside landscapes.
Instructing appears to be as central to your life as performing. How do you retain improvisation accessible for novices whereas nonetheless respecting the complexity and nuance of jazz and blues?
That’s an awesome query, as a result of it actually will get to the core of how I train. I imagine improvisation ought to really feel pure and joyful — like talking a language. So with novices, I give attention to easy musical components first: rhythm, phrasing, call-and-response, and listening. We’d begin with only one notice or a fundamental groove, and discover how a lot expression can come from that. On the identical time, I introduce key jazz and blues ideas early — like rigidity and launch, swing really feel, or the blues scale — however all the time in a approach that’s intuitive. My purpose is to honor the depth of the custom with out overwhelming the coed. That approach, they construct confidence and curiosity, which is de facto the muse for true improvisation.
You’ve hosted masterclasses in locations as numerous as Colombia, Europe and the U.S. Have these worldwide educating experiences modified the way you relate to rhythm, phrasing, or musical expression?
Positively. Instructing and sharing music in several components of the world has had a deep impression on how I perceive rhythm and phrasing. Every tradition brings its personal really feel, its personal sense of time and motion — whether or not it’s the polyrhythms I encountered in Colombia, the lyricism and articulation I heard in Europe, or the various grooves I discover right here within the U.S. These experiences have expanded my rhythmic vocabulary and made me extra delicate to how music is felt, not simply performed. It’s additionally taught me to pay attention extra deeply — not simply to the notes, however to the cultural emotion behind them. That consciousness continues to form my very own expression, each as a guitarist and as an educator.
Since settling in Los Angeles, you’ve immersed your self in each the native music scene and training areas. How did you discover your footing in a brand new nation whereas persevering with to nurture your inventive work?
Shifting to Los Angeles was each thrilling and difficult. Beginning contemporary in a brand new nation meant rebuilding my community from the bottom up, however music gave me an anchor. I started connecting with native musicians, attending jams, and saying sure to each alternative — from performances to educating. On the identical time, I made positive to carve out house for my very own inventive work. Composing and training turned a option to keep grounded and maintain my inventive voice alive amid all of the modifications. Instructing additionally helped rather a lot — it linked me to the group and gave me objective. Over time, I discovered that L.A.’s variety actually welcomed my background and concepts, and that gave me the arrogance to continue to grow as each an artist and educator.
You’ve described your sound as a gathering level between Latin American rhythms and jazz concord. What attracts you to these intersections, and the way do you keep away from repetition when composing inside that framework?
What attracts me to that intersection is the pure dialog between rhythm and concord — it’s alive, unpredictable, and stuffed with emotion. Latin American rhythms carry this pulse that’s rooted within the physique, whereas jazz concord provides countless prospects for shade and motion. After they meet, it appears like an ideal steadiness between construction and freedom. As for avoiding repetition, I all the time attempt to keep curious. I’d shift the rhythmic basis, discover a unique mode, or draw inspiration from a non-musical thought — a panorama, a reminiscence, even a dialog. I additionally let the guitar lead me; its tuning, resonance, and limitations typically recommend new instructions. For me, it’s much less about inventing one thing “new” and extra about staying trustworthy and linked within the second.
As somebody who wears the hats of composer, performer and trainer, do you see these roles feeding one another, or do they require solely separate headspaces whenever you’re engaged on new materials or educating college students?
I positively see these roles as deeply interconnected somewhat than separate. Composing feeds my efficiency as a result of it offers me a private connection to the music I play, and performing evokes new concepts for composition by direct interplay with audiences and fellow musicians. Instructing, in flip, enriches each as a result of it challenges me to interrupt down complicated concepts into their essence, which deepens my very own understanding. Once I’m educating, I typically uncover new approaches or views that I then carry again into my inventive work. So, whereas every position has its personal focus, all of them inform and help one another in a type of ongoing cycle.
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Uncover extra about Guillermo Marigliano through his official web site.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast.
