Eddie (Edgardo) Gómez – American bassist, composer and educator – b. October 4 1944 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Performed with Jakob Dinesen, Ben Besiakov and Nasheet Waits at The JAZZPAR 2004 Event.

The Gómez family immigrated to New York in the early 1950s. At eleven the boy’s love of music led him to the double bass as a precocious student in the New York public school system. In 1957 he was accepted to the High School of Music and Art and began studies with Fred Zimmerman. By the age of 18, Eddie Gómez had performed with Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, Marian McPartland, Paul Bley and other luminaries.

Although Eddie Gómez’ first love was jazz music, he continued studies with Fred Zimmerman at the Juilliard School of Music. After the third year of school he dreamed of a professional career and joined first with Gary McFarland and then with Gerry Mulligan’s group at the Village Vanguard. Eddie Gómez’ life was changed that week at the Village, because Bill Evans came in to hear the group and practically hired Gómez on the spot. At age 21, he was the bassist with the Bill Evans Trio and would spend a total of eleven years with the trio as an integral component of its sound and evolution. This period of vast artistic growth included performances throughout the world and dozens of recordings – two of them Grammy Winners. Gómez also realized another dream when he in the late 1960s performed on many occasions with Miles Davis, in the quintet that featured Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams.

In 1977 Eddie Gómez left the Evans trio. Throughout the 70s and into the 80s he performed in many diverse musical contexts with Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Hank Jones (JAZZPAR Artist 1991), Nancy Wilson, Tania Maria, Ray Barreto, Steps Ahead and many others. In the 90s the double bass player could also often be heard in contexts of classical music.

Eddie Gómez can be heard on hundreds of recordings spanning the worlds of jazz, classical, Latin jazz, folk and popular music.