GILI LOPES

Gili Lopes is a bassist and composer active in New York’s contemporary jazz scene. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, he has immersed himself in diverse musical traditions—from the folk and popular sounds of his homeland to global musical explorations and studies at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the University of Fine Arts in Berlin. He synthesises these influences into a rich, personal language for composition and improvisation. In 2024, Lopes released his debut album as a leader, Algures. Described as “slick and upbeat” by Jazzwise, this musical journey explores global themes with a “stellar band” (Jazziz) featuring veteran jazz masters John Ellis on saxophone and Ari Hoenig on drums. DownBeat praised Lopes’s “sensibility” that “brings the music toward the fount of each component tradition and then exceeds it.” Algures received two Global Music Awards, a World Entertainment Award, and multiple other nominations. As a bandleader and in-demand bassist, Lopes read more...