Guillermo Klein

Guillermo Klein is a talented and very original pianist and composer from Argentina who is best known for leading his group Los Guachos. Born in 1970, he started playing the piano when he was 11, composing his first songs the following year. Klein, who considers Astor Piazzolla to be his earliest influence, played locally, and after graduating from high school, he played guitar in a rock band. In 1990 he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. His original intention was to study and write classical music but he soon discovered jazz, particularly the recordings of Wayne Shorter. In addition to Piazzolla and Shorter, Klein is strongly influenced by his Argentinean heritage in general, especially in his writing, which can combine boleros, baroque, straightahead jazz, tangos and ragas. In 1994 he formed a big band, Los Guachos, which played at Small’s on a weekly basis during 1995-2000, also performing for a time at the Jazz Gallery. Klein recorded three CDs with Los Guachos for Sunnyside and Fresh Sound, which document his unique writing and colorful piano. He also worked with Kurt Rosenwinkel and occasionally led his own trio. In 2000 Klein moved back to Argentina, settling in Barcelona, Spain in 2002. He teaches at San Sebastian, performs locally and still visits the U.S. on an occasional basis. Klein currently leads a septet that features Jorge Rossy on keyboards and percussion, a saxophonist, cello, bass, drums and a singer.