Gashford Guillaume lives in a legacy of music. A music maker for over 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.
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, 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 ‘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 movement continues to grow in scope and popularity.