BIOGRAPHY
I’ve been in touch with music for as long as I can remember. When I was a little kid my parents gave me a vinyl which contained amazing drum and percussive music which I couldn’t stop listening to. I whistled the melodies and imitated the rhythms with my hands. In time, I built my own drum set with plastic boxes and plastic pieces which my grandfather used to cover his greenhouses. As hardware I used PVC pipes that my father brought from the company he worked for. I was no more than nine years old.
For my tenth birthday, however, I got as a present a guitar. My first acoustic guitar. At the moment I wasn’t aware that there was a huge universe in music that was called harmony. This universe, which is still immense and wonderful to me, made me fall in love with the guitar. Well… harmony and the ladies. I got to understand that there was a structure that supported every composition, every melody, every song I used to enjoy listening to, and, if I got to learn it, maybe I would be able to write music as well.
I studied classical and colombian guitar with my respected teacher Hugo Ernesto Ariza. He taught me technique, reading, notation, harmony principles and patience. Patience and determination. He was patient with me and I was patient with my process. We studied together for eight years until I graduated from High school. Then I went on to study with Martín Arbeláez Olarte. Martín taught me popular music, musical production, principles of composition and something which I value the most: To be creative! Martín let me know that I was ready to make a career as a musician if I was willing to be responsible, committed and willing to study for the rest of my life. I recorded my first two albums with him and immediately became a professional composer.
During this period of time, which I split between my philosophy classes in the university, psychoanalysis and music rehearsals, I got to meet some of the best musicians in town. I shared sessions and performances with Rafael Leal (my teacher and long time friend), Germán Sandoval, Lucho Junko, Sonia Díaz, just to name a few.
Rafa became my drum set and percussion instructor for quite some time. He taught me everything a young apprentice needed to know; everything from technique, to history of the instrument, to the most simple and complex rhythms. I studied and translated his wonderful book “Cómo tocar en batería ritmos internacionales y autóctonos” (How to play international and typical rhythms on the drum set). It’s still a great reference book for me.
On 2000, I went to live to the United States, Italy and Spain. In that period of time, I got to see many musicians perform and got to share tons of music with guys that had a lot to teach. I kept on studying my guitar and my drums while attending some wonderful seminaries and clinics among which, I remember very dearly the Dave Weckl`s presentations and master classes in the Canary Islands. What a great experience.
Some time after I returned to Colombia and reinforced my classical guitar technique and knowledge with Sonia Díaz. I recorded my third album as a classical guitar player.
On 2007 I recorded my first album in a trio format band. I reunited with Rafa when I came back to Colombia. We rehearsed the music I brought and tried out different bass players. Finally we found this incredibly talented musician named David Castro. He gave so much to the music, not only with his musical knowledge and ideas, but with the different basses he plays such as a fretless, a stick, a six string and upright bass. I played my acoustic six nylon string Luthier India Alhambra guitar, with a D’addario hybrid between its J28 basses and its J51 recording trebles. I’m still looking for the perfect set of strings for this beautiful sounding guitar.
These days, after a period of two years on which I was dedicated to education, I concentrate myself entirely to music. I keep working with my band Betnuar and writing music...
I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do what I do and I carry my passion with an esthetic concept that a great friend just recently helped me understand: My doings should be about Tolerance, Courage and Love for Life.
Thanks for listening!
God Bless!
Please visit my web site www.giannisavino.com
Instruments: Drums, Guitar