Alberto Rojo Trio

11th Annual Latin@ culture Show featured band


Alberto Rojo Trio

Members: ....Alberto Rojo- Guitar and Vocals, Professor Michael Gould-Drum set, Shakers, Vibes, Guiro, Castanets, Pandero and other assorted crazy percussion and Andrew Kratzat -Double Bass and Mbira.

The Alberto Rojo Trio focuses on both traditional Argentinean folk songs and styles and new compositions and arrangements. These include styles such as the Tango and Chacarera as well as jazz standards that have been arranged by the trio with a South American flare. The trio consists of Alberto Rojo on guitar and vocals, Michael Gould, percussion, and Andrew Kratzat on bass. Grammy award winning artist Alberto Rojo was born in Tucumán, Argentina. He started playing the piano at the age of six and picked up the guitar as a teenager. He studied at the Conservatorio Provincial de Música in Tucumán and later won a scholarship to study guitar with Eduardo Frasson in the Camping Musical Bariloche. Rojo is both an accomplished performer and composer. His music has been performed by Mercedes Sosa, Argentinean rock idol Charly Garcia, Victor Villadangos, Dorian recording artist Berta Rojas and Carmina Cannavino. Mercedes Sosa, having declared herself his “number one fan”, invited Rojo in 2005 to record two duets in her album Coraózn Libre. The album won a grammy award for best Folk album and included one of Rojo's compositons.

Andrew Kratzat.. is the winner of the Downbeat Best Soloist Award and the International Society of Bassists Jazz Award. He has recorded and played with such prominent jazz artists as Hank Jones, Ari Hoenig, and Jeremy Kittel. Andrew is currently the regular bassist for three-time Detroit Music Award Winner Jesse Palter.

Michael Gould is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has received international recognition as a performer and scholar in the field of drumset, contemporary percussion performance and pedagogy. Besides having spent several years as a percussion specialist at Huis Ten Bosch European resort in Nagasaki, Japan, Micheal has performed with international ensembles such as the Dallas Brass, Miles Osland, and Pauline Oliveros just to name a few.