Gustavo has been a judge since 2020
Gustavo Cortiñas
Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge
A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans (BM Jazz, Minor in Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude, 2011), and Northwestern University (MM Jazz, 2013), Gustavo Cortiñas has developed a successful career in the US for over a decade, leading and accompanying ensembles in renowned stages and festivals in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
“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 American, including his native Mexico”
Re: "Snapshot,” his 2013 record:
“A Smörgåsbord of the moods and nuances that make up the human experience... an idiosyncratic album that intrinsically fuses the personal to the universal.”
Re: "ESSE" (Origin Arts 2017):
“With the cohesive and captivating Esse, Cortiñas has created superb work that balances refreshingly inventive ideas with high-caliber musicianship. This exquisite and continuously gripping record is a testament to Cortiñas’ triple threat of skills as dynamic performer, agile bandleader and brilliant composer.”
During his time in Chicago, Cortiñas has become one of the most sought out drummers, performing and recording with Kitt Lyles' Real Talk, Erik Skov's Liminality, Imagery Converter, Emily Kuhn's Helios, the Roy McGrath Quaret, and the Carla Campopiano Trio, among other ensembles.
Cortiñas is a member of the Chicago Jazz Composer's Collective, performing regularly for their monthly residency at Chicago's very own Green Mill. Currently, with a grant from the Mexican National Endowment of the Arts (FONCA), he is working on his third and most ambitious project as a leader: a musical journey which traces through thirteen compositions - the poetic and tragic history set by Eduardo Galeano in his book: The Open Veins of Latin America.
