Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2013 Latin Issue | Page 143

BMM What was your first bass,

of my life.

and how did you come by it?
BMM As a bassist born in Latin
AR My first bass was a very

America, do you find this to be an

bad Giannini P-Bass imitation.

advantage or disadvantage?

It had a really crooked neck, the
strings were very far away from

AR I never saw it that way…

the fingerboard, and it sounded

Instead I have always made

so bad that people would always

a culinary metaphor out of it,

complain that they could never

something like: a Korean never

‘understand’ what I was playing.

thinks it’s an advantage or a

Yet, I loved it! That instrument

disadvantage to have grown up

enabled me to be who I am today. eating spicy, garlicky dishes, or
a Mexican would never question
BMM Tell us about that very

having a spicy egg burrito for

first day you had a bass in your

breakfast. As a Latin bassist,

hands.

I never questioned my roots.
I’m not better or worse than

AR I always wanted to be a

another musician, I just perform

drummer. Since that was never a

things with a Latin flavor, due

realistic possibility for me, due to

to my somehow-spicy-Latin

economics and the ‘loud’ nature

background.

of the instrument, I decided to
try the bass. During my very

BMM What are your main musical

first bass and music lesson, and

and bass influences? 

having only played the instrument
for 15 minutes, I totally fell in love AR That’s such a difficult
with it, and realized that I wanted
to become a bassist for the rest

question…
AUG 2013 : BASSMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM