Press
"Cortiñas is a highly musical and grooving drummer, as well as a laudable composer... his music is surprisingly danceable...groove-shifter, high-energy precision soloing, framed by vivid ideas. A joyful meeting of mind and spirit".
MODERN DRUMMER
“Cortiñas' music is uplifting, robust, melodic, and gets your body moving; it's an exciting blend of the artist's musical influences from jazz and Latin America, including his native Mexico.”
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“Cortiñas’ music is bluesy and deeply felt..sometimes it is raucus, sometimes solemn, but the music is always drenched in emotion.”
MODERN DRUMMER
“Chicago composer and drummer Gustavo Cortinas is a musician with a message, one of social justice. He delivers it in a style that fuses the melodic sensibilities of his ancestral Mexico with the complex syncopations of jazz.”
“Cortiñas and band revel in a live setting. They not only demonstrate their intimate knowledge of the compositions, but express their evident joy at melding their musical skills with Cortiñas’s continuing commitment to encouraging social change through music.”
The Arts Fuse
“Cortiñas’s deft touch reaffirms his status as one of the great drummers in the City’s new guard.”
Chicago Reader
“This beautiful tribute to the Windy City showcases Cortiñas’ exceptional talent as one of the most prominent jazz composers and drummers of our time.”
JAZZ DE LA PLENA
“Cortiñas’s improvisations are a delight. They climb incredible steps and bring a joy of maximum expression. A well developed technique with his own etiquette…he’s always stood out for carving a space of purpose in his trajectory.”
Fundación Para La Cultura Popular
(Puerto Rico)
For Gustavo, live performance is paramount, and his compositions are calibrated with that in mind. They pique the listener’s curiosity. It is music to be listened to, music that makes us dream, smile, full of generosity.”
“Being a multifaceted artist the young drummer maintains a remarkable uniformity of musical excellence while exploring different forms of expression with each release.”
"Cortinas’ music has super-syncopated, Afro-Caribbean beats with cool intoxicating rhythms.”
“This beautiful tribute to the Windy City showcases Cortiñas’ exceptional talent as one of the most prominent jazz composers and drummers of our time.”
JAZZ DE LA PLENA
“Gustavo Cortiñas, through his musical and educational journey, embodies a unique artistic voice that transcends borders and musical genres, while remaining deeply rooted in his Latin American roots.”
MAZIK (FRANCE)
“Chicago band-leader and composer has a talent for executing projects that are ambitious in scope.”
DOWNBEAT
Live In Chicago (2024)
“Cortiñas’ music is bluesy and deeply felt..sometimes it is raucus, sometimes solemn, but the music is always drenched in emotion.”
“The culmination of a decades worth of music. Cortiñas and band revel in a live setting. They not only demonstrate their intimate knowledge of the compositions, but express their evident joy at melding their musical skills with Cortiñas’s continuing commitment to encouraging social change through music.”
“For Gustavo, live performance is paramount, and his compositions are calibrated with that in mind. They pique the listener’s curiosity. It is music to be listened to, music that makes us dream, smile, full of generosity.”
“a rewarding listen, rife with exciting moments and deeply emotive ones as well.”
“This beautiful tribute to the Windy City showcases Cortiñas’ exceptional talent as one of the most prominent jazz composers and drummers of our time.”
“Cortiñas’s improvisations are a delight. They climb incredible steps and bring a joy of maximum expression. A well developed technique with his own etiquette…he’s always stood out for carving a space of purpose in his trajectory.”
Fundación Para La Cultura Popular (Puerto Rico)
“live and recorded beautifully. Cortiñas’s long-time sextet is overflowing with talent…Cortiñas writes terrifically for the three-horn front line reminding me of high points from the Jazz Messengers back in the day.”
“incredibly polished, incredibly joyous, risk taking evening of music captured here.”
“Gustavo Cortiñas, through his musical and educational journey, embodies a unique artistic voice that transcends borders and musical genres, while remaining deeply rooted in his Latin American roots.”
“One of the inescapable references of his instrument (drums) in the Midwest of the US”
“beautifully adventurous new recording …technical prowess and mastery of textures found within the heartbeat …captures the essence of Cortiñas’ musical journey, offering a glimpse into the transformative experiences that have shaped his unique sound.”
Exclusive Magazine - Anne Carlini
“Extraordinary music by drummer Gustavo Cortiñas”
“A delicacy, a wonder. Long songs, songs of development, song of distinct dynamic ranges. An absolutely complete journey”.
“A snapshot of Cortiñas’ musical journey…Driven by the drummer and band leader’s unique style and sound”
“A stunning album”
Kind Regards / Saludos Afectuosos (2022)
“Chicago band-leader and composer has a talent for executing projects that are ambitious in scope. now Cortiñas builds upon this foundation with his fourth release as a leader, Kind Regards…a significant departure and evolution from his previous work”.
“The plight of undocumented immigrants who flock to the southern border of the US, risking everything for a chance to live in the US, has long been a source of inspiration for artists. Few, however, have succeeded in personalizing the everyday heartache and challenges faced by these anonymous masses than Chicago-based drummer and composer Gustavo Cortiñas…Kind Regards triumphs both as a bearer of a message that can’t be heard enough and as purveyor sophisticated acoustic pop of arresting beauty”
“an intimate and captivating recording that examines concepts of societal equity, migration, freedom, affection, and life via a collection of ten self-penned pieces.”
“Drummer/composer Gustavo Cortiñas, born and raised in Mexico City and currently based in Chicago, is set to release a new album, Kind Regards – Saludos Afectuosos on September 2 via Desafio Candente Records. The album is inspired by the immigrant experience, which it represents via ten original compositions.”
“Kind Regards (Saludos Afectuosos) showcases a different, more personal, aspect of Cortinas' creativity. Being a multifaceted artist the young drummer maintains a remarkable uniformity of musical excellence while exploring different forms of expression with each release.”
“An incredible drummer here in chicago… The meaning behind this recording is really powerful.”
“Kind Regards is a really, really interesting album. My first impression is that it’s a spiritual descendant of the 1974 Bossa Nova classic album Elis & Tom (by Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobim). That album nails mellow, sultry melancholy in a way that I’ve never heard another album come close to. Until now.”
“Su cuarta producción “Kind Regards/Saludos Afectuosos”, que observa a la migración no desde un punto de vista político sino desde el lado humano, acaba de ser lanzado por su sello discográfico Desafío Candente Records. Platicamos con el baterista y compositor mexicano Gustavo Cortiñas acerca de este material.”
“All of Gustavo’s music is pleasing to the ear. His compositions are well-written and have a definite groove. But of course, they would have a groove, because Gustavo Cortinas is an amazing drummer. His creative rhythms propel this production and enhance his compositions.”
“"Miraculously, Saludos Afectuosos manages to be just as staggering [as it's predecessor]- last year’s Desafío Candente...the kind of once-in-a-lifetime achievement that an artist often needs years to complete, then years to recover from."
“Genteel geems.”
“ The program is centered on the immigrant experience in the US. We enjoyed the sweet vocal harmonies on “If I Learned Today” and “Libertad”, two songs that sooth the soul and try to heal the wounds of that challenging experience."
Desafío Candente (2021)
“Cortiñas draws inspiration from Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano’s canonical anti-colonialism/capitalism tome Open Veins of Latin America in a two-disc opus as sprawling and fiery as the text itself. A vast array of instrumentalists and spoken-word artists from 11 countries accompanies Cortiñas’ supple sextet across 14 sublime originals. The ambitious instrumental narrative — divided in chapters and stitched together by horn-laced rhythms and words spoken in the staccato of Indigenous languages and the cadence of Spanish — is a resounding sonic condemnation of the exploitative power structure that has long held sway over Latin America since Europeans set foot.”
JAZZIZ - Best of 2021 Jazz Critic’s Polls
“A musical meditation of the book The Open Veins of Latin America, by the esteemed author Eduardo Galeano. It is a brilliant exploration of jazz mashed up with various sounds from Latin America.”
“Listeners familiar with Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra are sure to experience a bit of reverie after hearing the beginning fanfare. “Cortiñas has produced a veritable musical score, replete with all the revolutionary nuances and cadences invoked by Galeano... The revolt against oppression reaches a climax that is better understood with Galeano's book in your hand, and Cortiñas' music in your ears."
“Gustavo Cortiñas’ third release as a leader, the magnificent Desafio Candente is an ambitious work both in depth and breadth. The spontaneous ensemble is intricately textured and lyrical with distinct individual styles complementing one another. Desafio Candente is innovative, elegant, and relevant. It is socially engaged music with themes that are simultaneously timely and timeless.”
“Cortiñas ha impreso su raíz en la escena del jazz en Chicago con un corazón rítmico que fluye desde su batería con temas y mensajes que revisan la historia de los pueblos latinoamericanos.”
“The Chicago-based composer, drummer and percussion colourist has created a musical palimpsest that carries the weight of the history of colonialism and neocolonialism of the entire southern part of the Americas. Moreover, with inspirational ideas he plumbs the folkloric traditions or various cultural outposts – not only Mexican – resulting in an epic and heroic narrative of resistance, pathos and triumph of human endeavour.”
“Las venas abiertas del jazz de AL…un alegato musical contra el colonialismo y el imperialismo, y a favor de la resistencia de los pueblos”
“Gustavo Cortiñas explores Latin American history, culture, and resilience on Desafío Candente. Despite Desafío Candente’s despairing explorations of the tragedies throughout nuestra historia, the album left me with a sense of triumph—it ultimately feels like a celebration of the many cultures and peoples who came together, survived against all odds, and continue to create beauty today.”
"Cortinas’ music has super-syncopated, Afro-Caribbean beats with cool intoxicating rhythms. . Lyrics and narration are in Spanish but the music speaks a universal amen.”
“The wide variety of sounds and moods are like a smorgasbord of atmospheres, with the spoken openings an intimate insight to life a so close yet so far. A musical museum.”
ESSE (2017)
"The newest from Gustavo Cortiñas engages in a thrilling sleight of hand. The drummer leads out with melodies that are crisp and clear as a cloudless Summer afternoon, not to mention pretty damn catchy, to boot. But then his septet obscures the view, solos up a storm of distractions and details and fireworks, and while it all flows naturally from that original statement of melody, before too long, it’s long forgotten. Well, until they suddenly return to it, revealing that the melody was still there, all along. And the repetition of this pattern does nothing to diminish the excitement even as expectations rise. I’ve been listening to this album all year long and its unlikely to drop from my listening queue any time soon”
“With the cohesive and captivating Esse, Cortiñas has created superb work that balances refreshingly inventive ideas with high-caliber musicianship. This exquisite and captivating record is a testament to Cortiñas’ triple threat of skills as a dynamic performer, agile bandleader and brilliant composer.”
"Informed by an adventurous blend of conventional large ensemble and avant-garde jazz modes, rock en español and folkloric ingredients, Cortiñas and his crew have created a richly detailed and provocative mosaic.”
JAZZIZ MAGAZINE
"A fascinating musical realization, exploration, and distillation of the works of Hegel, Aristotle, Descartes, Plato, and other brilliant minds...statements that are both studious and thought-provoking in nature...Gustavo Cortinas has worked everything out in his musical neck of the woods."
“This is a really wonderful disc, filled with some young heavy hitters from Chicago's jazz scene... Together, they make some magic on these heady compositions.”
“With the forward kind of thinking that tempts you to label him as Tito Puente III, you can dance, you can listen and you can enjoy this thoroughly throughout.”
“Esse is a masterstroke.”
"A lineup of only original - far from immediate stylistic pigeonholing - bound together by a thematic development which refers to ''evolution of western philosophy...form a set of strong personality and deep expressive excavation.”
STRATEGIE OBLIQUE
“This is ensemble work at the highest level. The compositions are thoughtful, engaging, and heartfelt.The tunes sound super fresh, sui generis.”
“Terrific drummer leads a talented sextet with alternating sax players added. The music covers a wide range and has a Latin tinge but is not what I would call Latin jazz. Mr. Cortinas does a nice job showcasing his fellow musicians with plenty of room to work out. All originals.”
Snapshot (2013)
"a captivating mélange of exuberant energy and sophisticated subtlety. Cortiñas deftly guides the quintet through eight of his intricately constructed compositions that allow the others ample space for spontaneous expression… Cortiñas takes center stage with a viscerally powerful yet harmonically complex percussion… his is an auspicious and rewarding debut from a highly talented and imaginative artist. It whets the appetite for more of what Cortiñas has to deliver in his, hopefully, long and successful career.”
“killer debut CD gathers evenly across a neoneo(neo?)bop expression with absolutely respectable solo playing…I hear music that really tells me a story that takes hold, nack to the bone.. drum work is incidentally quite formidable.”
“The music on Snapshot incorporates several jazz traditions, from spang-a-lang swing to funky hard bop, all articulated with precision and soul.”
Acclaimed jazz drummer Gustavo Cortiñas rides into town on the wheels of a new album - Detroit Metro Times
“Educados en una tradición del jazz originaria de Chicago y de nueva Orleans, la música mexicana también los nutre. Gustavo Cortiñas, autor de los nueve temas originales que forman el álbum. Melodías como Timing is Everything, Chimeras, Skepticism o Whis I Could be There Now, de- muestran su alta maestría téc- nica y al mismo tiempo dejan una impronta de calidad y sabor que se vuelven atractivas bajo su propuesta.”
“"the native mexican, US-based drummers fairly polished quintet is indebted to the hard-bop/latin-infused jazz tradition and the debut leans also in part towards something more experimental.”
“he takes the reins with the seasoned skill of the bandleader, an insinuation rather than a surprise (and this is a great gift), that dominates the pace, relaunches without interrupting, and connects the momentum of the soloists, bestowing a uniform dynamic to his music. An excellent first attempt by the drummer from Mexico City, who leaves nothing to chance. Enjoy an original brand of rhythmic music, of which its kind has not been heard for a while".”
“"Really lush energetic and strong to do this is the drummer Gustavo Cortiñas...the whole ensemble is highlighted in playing an effective swinging rhythm, awareness of the tradition and a great melody... real skill display Gustavo's musical abilities.”
"Gustavo Cortiñas has long been a musical seeker and sponge... Now, with Snapshot, Cortiñas is using all of his hard-earned knowledge to make his own artistic statement(s)...This nine song program sheds a light on the many and varied talents of Gustavo Cortiñas... gives pause to admire the musical skills, taste, touch and compositional acumen of a fine musician. Cortiñas creates music that's driving ("Timing Is Everything"), episodic ("Skepticism") and straightforward ("Hanaki").”
“A Smörgåsbord of the moods and nuances that make up the human experience… an idiosyncratic album that intrinsically fuses the personal to the universal… their simpatico contributions create a rich and cohesive listening experience, in which each voice adds greater depth and texture...spirited brass fueled excursion...minimalist...deceptively understated yet vital touches that embelish...stylistic sophistication in Cortiñas' arrangements…propulsive rollicking drum solos… dramatic.”
"de Chicago llegó el cuarteto de Gustavo Cortiñas, un swing que deslizaba los diferentes estados emotivos que le ha dado la vida, así que este cuarteto y cada una de las composiciones realizadas por Gustavo son un viaje musical por distintos momentos...y qué decir del joven y talentoso maestro Gustavo, quien aunque se fue pal’ norte, nunca perdió los rumbos que lo enraízan a la cultura mexicana, por el contrario, se ha convertido en un enlazador de escenarios musicales, sin dejar de mencionar que es un genio del ritmo y un talentoso compositor, basando el concierto de esta memorable noche con las piezas de su más reciente producción discográfica: Snapshot".
Llamó Snapshot a su primer disco: quintetos, cuartetos, un trío y un solo que intentan capturar, como en una foto instantánea, la fugacidad de la vida...el resultado es uno de esos discos que uno repite apenas terminada cada pieza...una música que se toca, se escucha y se vive en comunidad, que evoca la participación en equipo, el diálogo entre partes, un constate estira y afloje, y un sinfín de posibilidades que se consumen en el presente mediante la improvisación colectiva.”
PERIODICO REFORMA - GRABA EN JAZZ LA FUGACIDAD DE LA VIDA
"Ante un gran auditorio, se presentó ayer Snapshot de Gustavo Cortiñas...Por invitación del Consejo Estatal para las Culturas y las Artes Por invitación del Consejo Estatal para las Culturas y las Artes (Coneculta), Gustavo Cortiñas y su cuarteto integrado por Roy McGrath, Justin Copeland y Kitt Lyles escogieron el Centro Cultural Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo para deleitar con sonidos en este gran escenario de la ciudad de Chiapa de Corzo. El concierto ofrecido en la localidad chiapacorceña duró alrededor de una hora, y eso bastó para que el público se fuera satisfecho con lo ejecutado por Snapshot, que sin duda fue un gran espectáculo que, en pocas ocasiones, tenemos en nuestro estado.”
"Una tarde de jazz con Snapshot" - El Heraldo de Chiapas Jul/19/2013