PICOSO

The Musicians

Ray Avila on bass and vocals – Ray was young when he was faced with a choice. His coach asked him to choose baseball or music. He began performing in night clubs at the age of 15, chaperoned by his parents. With more than 40 years of experience, he has performed for President Clinton in Washington, DC, spent 18 years on the road and more than 4 years in Las Vegas, Nevada where he performed with such legends as Percy Sledge and Dobie Gray. He has extensive studio experience and has recorded with many local artists. His ability to switch between electric and upright bass enables him to play a variety of styles with ease.

Benito Encinias on piano, keyboard, and vocals – Benito is originally from Las Vegas, New Mexico and moved to Albuquerque with the band, Cascabel, in the 1970’s. He is equally comfortable performing acoustically on a grand piano as he is on his electric keyboards. He has performed in five countries and forty states. He has opened for Chuck Berry and Sister Sledge. He is versatile, able to go from the montunos of salsa to the rhythms of jazz. His style is distinct. He currently performs with “Café Mocha” in addition to Picoso.

Pete Gabaldon on drums – Pete grew up surrounded by music, his Mother a dancer/musician and his Father a trumpet player. He began playing drums professionally at the age of 15 and has taken no breaks. He toured with show bands in Sol, Korea and with the USO in Germany and Iceland. In the United States, he played with the Vienna Philharmonic and at the Opera House in Spokane, Washington with the group Xit. He was inducted into the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame in 2008. He is a one man percussion section. He has extensive studio experience and never misses a beat.

Teresa (Teri) Slack on vocals and percussion – Teresa’s earliest musical memories are of her mother singing her to sleep at night with the song Besame Mucho. She grew up in a family that preferred singing and dancing after dinner to television. She was immersed in music. At the age of 19, she auditioned and was hired in her first band. After college, Teresa began to tour. She sang jazz in Houston, toured Europe with the USO, and worked as a studio musician in Mexico City. She sings in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Her extensive travel to locations such as Italy, Canada, Cuba, Mexico and Spain has influenced her interpretation and style. Currently, she sings with several groups and performs several styles of latin music including jazz, mariachi, samba and salsa. She also performs “zapatiado”, a form of percussion that involves dance with a “Son Jarocho” group.