Gigio Romero

Funky and Jazzy rhythms, mixed with Latin elements are the heart of Gigio Romero’s music.

Gigio Romero, 40, is a Mexican guitar player and composer with more than 20 years of experience, playing for the likes of Julieta Venegas and Natalia Lafourcade, in venues all across Mexico and USA, as well as Japan, Cuba and Puerto Rico, among others. Gigio has also created projects like Jazzociation and Beat and Tonic, and collaborated in many independent bands.

Gigio is now promoting his new EP ELECTRATOASTER, a release that playfully and elegantly mixes some of the grooves that have been part of his personal lifetime playlist, in five original tracks that will keep you dancing and tapping your foot. With the unique and solid rhythm section of internationally renowned Edy Vega (drums), the deep groove of Dany Loyo (bass), and the incredible improvisation work of the great Diego Maroto (sax), Gigio Romero leads this band to create excitement and joy, live and in the studio.

Having started playing guitar at 15, he joined his first rock band at 18, and at 22 he was touched by the sound of funk, listening to artists like Funkadelic, Prince, James Brown and a lot of underground 70´s funk music that he discovered from old records. This sound got stucked in his head, in his soul and in his fingers, and it wasn’t going anywhere.

This newfound love led to Jazz, and the discovery, at least in his universe, of the immense world of harmony, with its rhythms, and its complex chords and lines. And those amazing musicians, all new to him.

 At the age of 25, he had a big break joining Mexican singer Julieta Venegas on her tour, playing for the first time in his life outside of México. He then began performing with Julieta all over the continent, opening for bands like Los Lobos, The Cranberries, Gustavo Cerati, Ozomatli and many others. Venegas being booked in major festivals across the U.S. gave Gigio the opportunity to play before really big crowds, while being able to listen to (and learn from) really, really big bands. Those were fun times.

 “I will never forget watching Al Green on stage at Austin City Limits Festival”

- 25 year old Gigio Romero.

At 28, he was hired by Natalia LaFourcade to join her on a busy tour (performing up to 25 dates in a month!) in North, Central and South America, and even Tokyo, Japan, where they did a series of concerts, T.V. shows and radio tour promoting LaFourcade’s debut album. Those were busy times.

One year later, Gigio joined Mexican singer Kalimba, visiting the U.S. in repeated occasions and a big part of Latin America, too. Those were funky times.

 More recently, in 2011, Gigio formed Jazzociation, with Mario Patron on Piano/Keyboards and Luis Alejo on Bass, an acid jazz-funk-hip-hop-live-but-also-electronic-latin-reggae-but mostly fun approach to jazz standards and pop songs, that has become quite popular in local Mexico City venues.

Electratoaster EP is now available on iTunes, Amazon and all major retail and digital outlets.