Gashford Guillaume lives in a legacy of music. A music maker for close to twenty years, his finely tuned drumming and song writing style has opened a new chapter in world music – a style that fuses traditional Haitian rhythms with the smooth, syncopated beats of one of the world’s most beloved art forms: Jazz. A close listen will also reveal Funk, Pop, R&B, Brazilian, traditional Jazz, Haitian Folklore and Gospel influences.
Gashford’s father is a music teacher and maestro. Between his father and the church, Gashford learned to play a myriad of instruments including bass guitar and keyboards, which he uses to compose his music. He also has several brothers in the music industry and sites his older brother, multi-talented musician, producer and owner of TetKale records Jephte Guillaume as having brought him to the pivotal point in his music career. After experiencing Jephte perform at the landmark NYC club Nell's, Gashford knew that he wanted his life to be entrenched in music.
Donald Guillaume, drummer for Wyclef Jean, and the Fugees for almost a decade is also a music producer. Another brother, Dickson Guillaume, is the founder and director of New York’s premier Haitian Gospel Choir, The NYS Haitian Interdenominational Mass Choir. The musical sound of the Haitian Mass Choir embrace a range of influences, from Haitian folk songs to contemporary, urban and traditional American gospel. Brother Duke Guillaume is a saxophonist and band leader of the newly formed Metropolitan Gospel Big Band, a 15 piece ensemble of professional jazz musicians who play instrumental gospel music in a jazz big-band setting.
Duke’s vast and diverse music collection had a tremendous influence on young Gashford, who would listen at every opportunity. The Yellow Jackets, Grover Washington Jr., Dave Valentine, Al Jarreau, Joe Sample, Chick Corea, Commissioned, The Winans, Anita Baker, Sade, Jaco Pastorious, Stanley Clarke, Jack Dejohnette, Elvin Jones, Omar Hakim, John Patitucci, Boukman Eksperyans, Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour are some of the artists and musicians he would listen to for motivation. These various musical stimuli helped build his wide-ranging knowledge of music. Gashford credits his family's influences and these recording artists as some of the key elements which have allowed him to create the unique sound he has so keenly harnessed in his compositions and melodies as a composer and drummer.
The Brooklyn native’s ascent into the world of music has been swift. In high school, Gashford was a member of The Edward R. Murrow H.S Jazz band and then later went on to play at different venues around New York City. He has gone on to perform with such Haitian superstars as Emeline Michel and Beethova Obas. Working in the studio for numerous labels and producers as well as regular gigs have taken him on tours and to festivals in places such as Amsterdam, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, St, Lucia, Martinique and many cities around the United States.
Gashford’s musical influence has been felt far and wide. He has played with artists such as; James Germain, Eric Virgal, Orlane, Eddy Brissaux, Chardavoine, Gifrants, Yanick Etien, Felina Backer, Claude Aurelien, Michael Philips, Revelation, Lataye, Tjovi Ginen, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Calyn, Morena, The Altino Brothers, Phat Horns, Shepherds, Jephte Guillaume and the Tet Kale Orkestra, Illogical Poetry, Eric Mcdaniels, Dickson Guillaume & the New York State Haitian Interdenominational Mass Choir, Jowee Omicil, Buyu Ambroise & the Blues in Red Band. (To name a few.)
Currently, Gashford is at the epicenter of a rapidly growing Haitian Jazz Movement. As a founding member of the ground-breaking Haitian jazz quintet ‘Mozayik†in 2000, Gashford and the members of Mozayik have quickly made a name for themselves, doing much towards re-establishing the genre of Haitian Jazz. The band has released two critically acclaimed CDs receiving international airplay, Mozayik was subsequently signed to the Grammy-winning Zoho Music jazz label. Mozayik has also performed in jazz festivals in Cuba, Haiti, New York City and Miami, and the band continues to be at the forefront of the Haitian jazz scene in New York City and beyond. Continuing his passionate commitment to supporting the Haitian jazz genre, in October 2005, Gashford teamed up with John “Papa Jube†Altino (VP of SOB’S in NYC) to present the first annual “Haitian Jazz Music Festival†to a sold-out house at SOBs. Created as a vehicle to bring exposure to the diverse talents of the multi-generational Haitian jazz community, as well as to recognize Haiti’s connection and contribution to the creation and evolution of the jazz genre as a whole, the Haitian Jazz Festivals continue to grow in scope and popularity. Haitian Jazz Festivals have thus far been presented at such esteemed venues as Irving Plaza and Miami’s Carnival Center for the Arts.