BIOGRAPHY
Based in Boston, USA, Gustavo Assis-Brasil began playing the guitar at the age of 13. He attended the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, to get his bachelor in classical guitar in 1995. During those years, he worked as a studio musician, private teacher and played with some important bands and projects (Nocet, Bichofolha duo w/Guilherme Barros).
In 1995 he was featured in Guitar Player Magazine - USA (Spotlight session).
In 1999 he got a full scholarship to get his Master Degree In Jazz at Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory. His main teachers were Mick Goodrick (Gary Burton, Pat Metheny), Wayne Krantz (Steely Dan, Michael Brecker), Hal Crook, Ed Tomassi, Dave Fiucsynski. Gustavo also had master-classes/lessons with Pat Metheny, Frank Gambale, Mike Stern, Dave Liebman, and John Scofield. Gustavo also studied improvisation and composition privately with the late jazz-guru Charlie Banacos and South Indian Carnatic music with Prasanna.
From 2001 to 2006, Gustavo played and toured with the group Dig Trio.
In 2005, Gustavo released the book “Hybrid Picking for Guitar”. This book is the first method entirely dedicated to the art of combining pick and fingers to play the guitar. The book is in its 3rd edition and it has been receiving praise worldwide.
In 2008, he released the follow up book “Hybrid Picking Exercises: Single Note Permutations”, with more than 1,400 different exercises based entirely on math permutations. Also in 2008, Gustavo released a live DVD/CD combo called “In Concert” where he features original compositions. On that same year, he was invited by ESC Records (Germany) to write and record an arrangement of Steely Dan’s “Aja”, to be part of a tribute CD “Maestros of Cool”.
In 2009, Gustavo was invited to participate in the project “Mahavishnu Re-Defined - a Tribute to John Mclaughlin & the Mahavishnu Orchestra” along with other jazz artists.
In 2010, he released his original soundtrack for Brazilian movie “Manhã Transfigurada”.
In 2011, Gustavo released his third book, “Hybrid Picking Lines and Licks”. Guthrie Govan wrote the foreword for it.
In 2015, Gustavo performed at a TEDx conference in Brazil.
In 2016, he released the album “Chromatic Dialogues”. It was in the ballot for the 2017 Grammy Awards.
Gustavo is the director of the Jazz and Contemporary Music Ensembles and is a faculty member of the Cambridge School of Weston. Also as a teacher, Gustavo taught classes at Berklee College of Music and clinics/master classes at Musicians Institute, Los Angeles, CA; University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA; UFRGS, Brazil; Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil; University of Passo Fundo, Brazil.
Gustavo performed/recorded with Mozik, John Stowell, Esperanza Spaulding, Frank Potenza, Richard Smith, Hiromi, Vardan Ovsepian, Tony Grey (John Mclaughlin), Julio “Chumbinho” Herrlein,
Greg Hopkins, Brett Wilmott, Mauricio Zottarelli, Tim Ries (Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Steve Wonder), Nelson Faria, Jose Pienasola (Elis Regina, Chico Buarque, Leny Andrade), Marina Elali, Hiroaki Honshuku, Dough Johnson, Gilson Schachnik, Zuzo Moussauer, Frank Solari, among others.