Gabriel Vicéns

Born and raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Vicéns began his musical training at the age of 14, and shortly after, he began playing jazz in local clubs. He attended the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Caribbean Music studies, graduating summa cum laude as the first guitarist in the program in 2010.[4] Later on, in 2016, he moved to New York City and attended Queens College, receiving a Master of Music in 2017.[5][6][7] Between 2019 to 2021, Vicéns studied painting at The Art Students League of New York with color-field painter Pat Lipsky.[8] In 2022, he received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies and Performance from Stony Brook University under the direction of Ray Anderson.[9] He studied guitar with Fernando Mattina and Paul Bollenback, and composition with Carlos Cabrer, Daria Semegen, and Lois V Vierk[9]

Vicéns leads a number of his own groups and has collaborated with many jazz greats, including Eddie Gómez, David Sánchez, Alex Sipiagin, and Miguel Zenón.[10] At the age of 24, Vicéns became part of the music faculty at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico where he taught private guitar lessons until 2015.[11] He has released three critically acclaimed albums as a bandleader: Point In Time (2012),[12][13][14][15] Days (2015),[16][17] and The Way We Are Created (2021).[18][5][19] His two later albums were released on Greg Osby's influential label, Inner Circle Music.[9] In addition, he is co-leader of the free improvisation/experimental group, No Base Trio, formed in 2010 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. No Base Trio has released two highly praised albums under the label Setola di Maiale. Their debut eponymous album was released in 2020 and their second studio album, NBT II, in 2022. [20] [21][22][23] Vicéns' work has been featured and reviewed in publications including DownBeat,[24] JazzTimes,[25] All About Jazz,[26] Jazzwise,[27] Musica Jazz,[28] Jazz Journal,[29] Jazz Inside,[30] El Nuevo Día,[31] El Vocero,[32] and Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular.[33]

• Official website