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 undertaking to the rhythmic insights formed by instructing 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 many years to composing, performing, and instructing 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 residing 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 international sounds, I’ve discovered new methods to mix that basis with different influences. That sense of identification comes by in my phrasing, my harmonic selections, and the best way I strategy improvisation.
Whether or not I’m composing, performing, or instructing, that Argentine spirit of soulful expression and rhythmic complexity travels with me. It helps me join with various audiences and college students on a deeper degree, bringing authenticity and a worldwide perspective to my music
Your solo guitar undertaking 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 undertaking 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 powerful pull to decelerate and specific myself extra in a solo state of affairs moderately than inside a band. The Spanish acoustic guitar naturally lends itself to that form of intimacy — it permits house, silence, and nuance to breathe. I’ve additionally been reflecting so much 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 assist a extra introspective voice this time — one which’s grounded, looking, and trustworthy. It’s music that invitations the listener right into a quieter, extra contemplative house, and that felt like the fitting course 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 transferring to the U.S. and beginning over in a brand new setting. 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 at all times in service of the sensation. Every bit explores a distinct “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 grew to become the automobile to journey by these internal landscapes.
Educating appears to be as central to your life as performing. How do you retain improvisation accessible for newbies whereas nonetheless respecting the complexity and nuance of jazz and blues?
That’s an excellent 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 newbies, I give attention to easy musical components first: rhythm, phrasing, call-and-response, and listening. We’d begin with only one observe 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 at all times in a means that’s intuitive. My aim is to honor the depth of the custom with out overwhelming the scholar. That means, they construct confidence and curiosity, which is admittedly the muse for true improvisation.
You’ve hosted masterclasses in locations as various as Colombia, Europe and the U.S. Have these worldwide instructing experiences modified the way you relate to rhythm, phrasing, or musical expression?
Undoubtedly. Educating and sharing music in several elements of the world has had a deep influence 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 schooling 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 instructing. On the identical time, I made positive to carve out house for my very own inventive work. Composing and training grew to become a approach to keep grounded and preserve my creative voice alive amid all of the adjustments. Educating additionally helped so much — 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 boldness 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 filled with emotion. Latin American rhythms carry this pulse that’s rooted within the physique, whereas jazz concord affords infinite prospects for colour and motion. Once they meet, it looks like an ideal stability between construction and freedom. As for avoiding repetition, I at all times attempt to keep curious. I’d shift the rhythmic basis, discover a distinct mode, or draw inspiration from a non-musical concept — a panorama, a reminiscence, even a dialog. I additionally let the guitar lead me; its tuning, resonance, and limitations typically counsel 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 instructor, do you see these roles feeding one another, or do they require completely separate headspaces if you’re engaged on new materials or instructing college students?
I undoubtedly see these roles as deeply interconnected moderately than separate. Composing feeds my efficiency as a result of it provides me a private connection to the music I play, and performing conjures up new concepts for composition by direct interplay with audiences and fellow musicians. Educating, in flip, enriches each as a result of it challenges me to interrupt down advanced concepts into their essence, which deepens my very own understanding. After I’m instructing, I typically uncover new approaches or views that I then carry again into my inventive work. So, whereas every function has its personal focus, all of them inform and assist one another in a form of ongoing cycle.
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Uncover extra about Guillermo Marigliano by way of his official web site.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast.