PODCAST: Carlos Capacho

Listen to a track from a Berklee senior whose composing and cuatro virtuosity has made him a standout during his studies with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

May 2, 2016

More than 900 musicians will graduate from Berklee on May 7, but there won't be many cuatro players among them. But Venezuelan cuatro player Carlos Capacho, as a student in the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, stands out not only because of his instrument choice, but because of his efforts to break new ground as a musician and composer.

Capacho was only 15 when he finished ahead of 600 other cuatro players and won first place in the International Venezuelan Cuatro Contest in 2004. About to graduate with a bachelor's degree in performance, Capacho has played in Mexico, Cuba, Cameroon, Gabon, and Trinidad and Tobago, among many other countries. He's been offered a teaching position at the Caracas Conservatory of Music, and is cowriting the first jazz-oriented training guide for his instrument.

This podcast episode features Capacho's band, the Cuatro Project:

  • Anthony Fung (Canada): drums
  • Edmar Colon (Puerto Rico): soprano sax
  • Roni Eytan (Israel): harmonica
  • Jonathan Chapman (Canada): electric bass
  • Santiago Bosch (Venezuela): piano
  • Carlos Capacho (Venezuela): electric and acoustic cuatro, composer

"Global"
(C. Capacho)