Jerry Gonzalez

Jerry González approached jazz through an expansive lens when shaping his singular approach to spontaneous composition. His work on trumpet and flügelhorn echoed the phrasing of Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, yet his own heritage supplied an instinctive grasp of Afro-Cuban rhythms. He told The Detroit News, "I am bilingual -- I speak Spanish and English. I can play the blues and I can play the rumba." González began his professional path in 1970 by playing in Dizzy Gillespie's ensemble, then spent a short time the next year with Eddie Palmieri's unit El Son. He soon moved on to timbale player Manny Oquendo's Conjunto Libre. Although he started his own ensemble Ya Yo Me Cure in 1980, González reached his stride as a leader only after assembling Jerry González & the Fort Apache Band alongside his brother, bassist Andy, and drummer Steve Barrios. Following a pair of recordings made at European jazz festivals, the ensemble found its footing on the 1989 third album Rumba Para Monk. That release topped the worldbeat group category in Down Beat's readers' poll and was chosen Jazz Album of the Year by France's Academie du Jazz. Over the years González appeared or recorded with Tony Williams, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Dorham, Anthony Braxton, Tito Rodriguez, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, and Machito. Born in New York City, he relocated to Spain in 2000 and died at age 69 on October 1, 2018, after inhaling smoke during a fire at his Madrid residence.