Andy González Releases “Entre Colegas”

Andy González is one of the most respected and well-known bassists in Jazz & Latin music today. Born in New York City in 1951 to parents from the Lares section of Puerto Rico, music was already in his blood. His father Gerardo was an accomplished vocalist who sang with Augie Melendez Y su Combo, a Bronx-based group that patterned itself after La Playa Sextet. At age 13, after several years of violin & bass training, Andy joined a band with his brother Jerry called the Latin Jazz Quintet, which was heavily influenced by the sound of Cal Tjader’s group. The band’s first gig was at the Colgate Gardens in the Bronx opposite Tjader himself. Another notable gig for the band was at the Embassy Ballroom in the Bronx, on the same bill as Tito Rodriguez, Eddie Palmieri & Joe Cuba.

The González brothers are a Puerto Rican dynasty, much like the Jones brothers of Pontiac, Michigan. While trumpeter and conguero Jerry González might have a higher profile by virtue of his being leader of the Fort Apache Band, his elder brother Andy is a formidable bassist, a veteran of his over 1000 recordings. However, what gets Andy González the respect he so deserves is his majestic, magical and mystical handling of the bass violin. Absent is the drama of pyrotechnics and in its place is a sumptuous, magisterial tone of an ultra-virtuoso. His glittering articulation differs from most bassists of his generation and if there is anyone his playing recalls it is that of the irrepressible beauty of Cachao. — Raul da Gama – Senior Writer and Editor, Latin Jazz Network

• Read Full CD Review: Andy González: Entre Colegas/Among Colleagues
• Read TRR Interview: In Conversation with Andy González
• View Promo Page: Truth Revolution Presents Andy González “Entre Colegas”