Gili Lopes Quartet featuring Fabio Gouvea

Event information

Gili Lopes is a bassist and composer embedded in New York’s contemporary jazz scene. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, he’s spent his life immersed in many deep musical traditions, from the folk and popular sounds of his native country to his wide-ranging musical travels around the planet to his time studying at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the University of Fine Arts of Berlin—which he synthesises into a rich, personal language for composition and improvisation.

In 2024, Lopes released Algures, his debut as a leader. Called “slick and upbeat” by Jazzwise, this musical travelogue explores global themes with a “stellar band” (Jazziz) that includes “a redoubtable case of accompanists” (All About Jazz) featuring saxophonist John Ellis and drummer Ari Hoenig, both veteran modern-jazz masters who assist the bandleader in propelling the music to jazz’s cutting edge. Downbeat praised Lopes’ “sensibility,” which “brings the music toward the fount of each component tradition and then exceed it.” Algures has received two Global Music awards, one World Entertainment award, and was considered one of the best jazz albums of 2024 by Downbeat.

As a bandleader, as well as an in-demand bassist alongside prominent artists such as Duduka Da Fonseca, Dom Salvador, Amaro Freitas, Paquito De Rivera Toninho Horta, David Berkman, and many others, Lopes has performed on some of the world’s most prominent bandstands, including Montreal’s Théâtre Maisonneuve, New York’s Town Hall, Lincoln Center, and Rockefeller Center.

Gili Lopes - double bass, Fabio Gouvea - guitar, Sam Watts - piano, (+ special guest drummer)