"Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1941, American composer and clarinet player Guillermo Gregorio has lived variously in Europe and the United States since 1986. Leading his Chicago-based trio and other ensembles, Gregorio has performed extensively, and his compositions have been recorded on numerous CDs by the Swiss label hatART and the American labels New World Records, Atavistic, and Nuscope, among others. His works have been played by noted New Music ensembles in the USA and Europe, among them Makrokosmos Ensemble (Switzerland) , Ensemble N_ER (EU), International Contemporary Ensemble (USA), Fonema Consort (USA), and the Maverick Ensemble (USA). In addition, as an instrumentalist, Gregorio has worked with many experimental and improvisational groups, including those that recorded the music of Cornelius Cardew, Anthony Braxton, and Philip Corner, among other contemporary composers (see discography for details).

As a composer and improviser, Gregorio has collaborated with Fred Lonberg-Holm, Ran Blake, Steffen Schleiermacher, Steve Swell, Jim O'Rourke, Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustaffson, Axel Dörner, Josh Abrams, Jeff Parker, Jason Adasiewicz, Carrie Biolo, George Graewe, Franz Koglmann, Thomas Lehn, Heiner Reinhardt, Le Quan Ninh, Akikazu Nakamura, Ab Baars, Sebi Tramontana, Mary Oliver, Klaus Koch, Gene Coleman, Enrique Gerardi, Paulo Alvares, Vinko Globokar, Makrokosmos Quartet, François Houl, and Stephen Dembski, among others.

He participated in the Argentine experimental music scene throughout the 1960s, '70s, and early '80s. His involvement with New Music included both composing and playing clarinet, saxophone and miscellaneous instruments in the Movimiento Música Más (Fluxus Group), the Experimental Group of Buenos Aires, and the Group of Contemporary Music of La Plata, featuring Fluxus events, multi-media spectacles, environmental pieces, and experimental concerts. Some of his earlier work in Argentina is available in the CD Guillermo Gregorio: Otra Música. Tape Music, Fluxus and Free Improvisation in Buenos Aires 1963-70 (Atavistic UMS/ALP209CD). After leaving Buenos Aires Gregorio had the opportunity to experience the European creative music scene of the middle '80s, i.e. the fruitful convergence of Free Jazz and 20th-century music and its interconnections with visual art. The interaction with composers and artists of that milieu constituted an indelible mark in his further explorations.

Gregorio-a visual artist himself-has frequently explored the intersection of visual and musical experience. His involvement in visual arts and design is a central influence in his music. In his series entitled "Madi Pieces" and "Coplanars" (1999-2005) Gregorio used Constructivist and geometrically generated ideas in scores ranging from conventionally notated material to graphic systems and open structures. In these compositions, a reinterpretation of the fundamental and structural concepts of Constructivism converges with the historical experiences of Argentinean Conceptualism, Fluxus, intermedia synthesis, and graphic realization. In January 2001, he founded the Madi Ensemble of Chicago, which performed original and historical scores that draw from the conceptual foundation of diverse Argentinean avant-garde currents. His scores related to that period have been exhibited in numerous shows at galleries and institutions, among them the Block Museum of Art (Northwestern University, Evanston, IL), Chelsea Museum of Art (NY), Kettle's Yard Gallery (University of Cambridge, UK), and Elastic, Sound & Vision Gallery (Chicago). Some of Gregorio's works belong to the permanent collections of the MADI Museum and Gallery in Dallas, Texas, and the Centre d'Art Geometrique MADI in Paris. His works have been published in Leonardo, Journal of the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology, Notations 21 (Mark Batty Publisher), Noon Literary Annual, and other specialized publications. His series of pieces entitled "Otra Música" (2005 to the present), composed using conventional notation, focus on history and critical issues as well as syntactic aspects of texts and music. Still maintaining the openness of the works from the former period, the name of the series-"Otra Música"-refers to the title of a monthly column on experimental and avant-garde sounds that Gregorio wrote for a specialized magazine in Buenos Aires during the early '70s. Currently, Gregorio's interests are related to improvisation and "composition in real time" playing clarinet, in addition to the aforementioned compositions.

Gregorio has a degree in Architecture, and has worked as a graphic designer. As an educator he taught history and theory of architecture at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and history of industrial design and visual communication at the University of La Plata, Argentina. In the USA he has taught history of 20th-century art and art appreciation at Purdue University North Central, Indiana, sound improvisation at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago, and worked as advisor of Grad Projects in the Sound Department of that School. At the present time Gregorio teaches History of Communication Design at Columbia College, Chicago."

"Pairing different line-ups of professional instrumentalists, dedicated to the expression of emotion through sound, to share a musical journey. The ability to draw on the American tradition of improvisation, while maintaining a deep sense of self, facilitates a unique relatable expression of the moment. The trust, as an ensemble, to take musical leaps transforms sound into feeling. The inclination to slide between complex abstract musical vocabulary and the simple statements of a meditative daily practice. There is nothing complicated about participation in the Instrumental Underground. No certification or documentation required.

If you hear it and you feel it, then it's right."-Jeff Pearring

"Charley Sabatino is an NYC based, veteran bassist, composer and educator with more than 40 years experience. He plays both upright and electric bass, encompassing a wide range of styles and performs throughout the NY/Metro Area. Highlights of his career include: The 2017 Stockholm Jazz Festival, Headliners at the Village Gate, 92nd St. Y, Cat Club, New Music Seminar, the Cabaret Circuit with clients of the William Morris Agency, The Today Show backing the Children's Aid Society Chorus, Lincoln Center with Ben Vereen and at the NAMM Show with Grammy Winning artist Jesus E. Florido. Charley co-led "The Velocity Duo", a free composed music group that has released a CD ("Dichotomies") and toured through the US and Europe. Charley's current projects include Charley Sabatino and Looking Forward spotlights him as composer, arranger, band leader and performer (To find out more, CLICK HERE), 577 Records recording artists The GPS trio where he shares composing duties with Guillermo Gregorio and Jeff Pearring (Click HERE to get their album "Directions + Destinations) and the Garden Quartet with Charlie Waters, Claire Daly and Jeremy Carlstedt.

Charley was the Music Director of the Jazz Workshop at the Cadenza Music School from 2010 to 2018. It consisted of ensemble classes of players of many levels and ages learning the art and science of Jazz performance and improvisation.

Charley currently teaches electric and upright bass, theory and improvisation, both in-person and remotely to students of all levels and ages. Students include beginners, seasoned performers, Broadway pit musicians and a multi-Grammy winning, multi-platinum performer/producer. Many of his students are attendees or graduates of CCNY, Berklee School of Music, Julliard, Five Towns College, University of North Texas, Montclair State U, Youngstown State, Washington University, Lafayette College and the British & Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM). His remote students live throughout the US and 5 other continents (Antarctica, you're next!!!) . He has been teaching remotely since 2010.

Charley is an Adjunct Professor at York College in Queens, NY in the Department of Performing & Fine Arts.

Charley is also a volunteer teacher for Guitars 4 Vets.

Charley also gives highly acclaimed clinics on the fundamentals of electric and upright bass as well as improvisation for all instruments.

Charley is a Yamaha Performing Artist. He is endorsed by Lakland Basses, SIT strings, Lathon Bass Wear, Phil Jones Bass Amplifiers, Kahler Bridges , Tsunami Cables, has been profiled in Bass Player Magazine (July 2014) and the Podcasts Contrabass Conversations (click here), the bass shed (click here scroll to Episode 83) and For Bass Players Only (click HERE).

Charley holds a Master of Arts in Music from LIU CW Post. He has studied with Billy Bauer, Harvie S., Jeff Andrews, Tony Oppenheim, Lyn Christie, Mike Pope and Raoul."