Guillermo Cazenave

Guillermo ‘Guill’ Cazenave (born September 18, 1955, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine musician.

Cazenave was born into a family of personalities connected with the world of culture and art. On his grandmother’s side (McInnes-Wilde), the family is related to writer Oscar Wilde. Guillermo’s grandmother introduced him to celtic music and in 1962, at the age of seven, he started playing bagpipes for a while. Later, during the Beatlemania era, Cazenave studied drums and percussion with jazz professor Sam Lerman and also Alberto Alcalá, of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. In 1969 he continued his studies with Droopy Gianello, well-known drummer and member of the Argentinian pop-rock group Arco Iris, leaded by composer, guitarist and singer Gustavo Santaolalla. At the end of the sixties, while attending Cardinal Newman College, Cazenave began his career playing drums and singing in a progressive rock group he created with friends at school. Guill’s father, a lawyer, introduced him to the philosophical writings of Gurdjieff, Maurice Nicoll, Ouspensky and Krishnamurti. This was a big influence on his choice of career as composer and writer of new age music. Until the mid '70s Guill composed and recorded pop, folk and psychedelic songs on his brother's 2 channel reel-to-reel recorder. In 1974 Guillermo Cazenave released his first recording session for the well-known Teatro San Martín in Buenos Aires. In 1977 Guillermo initiated an important change, by moving to New York, where he produced his first recordings as an independent musician, playing synths, guitar and singing. Guill settled in London from 1978-82 and later in Sitges (Barcelona), where he founded Astral Label. A pioneer in the emerging new age field, Cazenave achieved his greatest success in this field during the 1980s. Under Astral Productions and Radio Nacional de España Label RTVE Música he produced an outpouring of albums and later CDs, becoming a well-known figure at popular Simposiums, Festivals, Radio and TV. As an author, he wrote books on music. Among these being The Sound of the Universe, Music for a New Age, etc.. In 1987 Guillermo became director of the Music Therapy & Biomusic Institute, with branches in America and Europe. Guill has collaborated with other well-known musicians. These include new age pioneer Steven Halpern, Anthony Phillips, composer and founder-member of Genesis, Ronald Lloyd, oboist in the Hallé Orchestra during Sir John Barbirolli's period, American composer and guitarist Jeremy Morris and many talented musicians in Spain and Argentina, as Litto Nebbia, Miguel Abuelo, Quique Berro, etc. At this point in time, Cazenave is living in Southern France, where he recently wrote a book (published in Spain) about the Cathars and Rennes-le-Château: La Noche del Grial (The Night of the Grail). In this same area, he has built a new recording studio, not too far from Montségur Castle.

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Chronology

• 1968-69: First songs and two track recordings playing guitar and flute.
• 1970-72: Composed and recorded more than 100 songs, continued also studying classical guitar and flute.
• 1973-75: First experimental and instrumental recordings using sound effects and keyboards. Recorded of his first studio album, for a theatrical production. Started of studying piano with Argentinian concertist Guillermo Izcla.
• 1976-78: Settled in New York, Cazenave continued carrying out new recordings, using for the first time synthesizers as predominant instruments.
• 1978-82: Settled in London, making recordings of the first works that would enable him to get to know those first circles of the newly emerging instrumental music, and got in contact with musicians such as Anthony Phillips, Steven Halpern, etc.
• 1983-86: Moved to Spain and founded Astral (first label of new age music in Spain). First concerts in Simposiums around the country. Collaborations with Fernando Salazar (founder of the Institute of Music Theraphy & Biomusic, 1975).
• 1987-89: Numerous concerts, journeys to France and England and further recordings now helped Cazenave to confront the new age of muzak and enabled him to continue on as independent in elaborating compositions somewhat symphonic and within his own concept of "metamusic".
• 1990-93: Concerts in Mexico, U.S.A. and other countries. Cazenave completed the soundtrack for the American film "The Touch of Zen", directed by John Liu (Bruce Lee).
• 1994-96: More trips with concerts and various television and radio programs in U.S., Mexico, France, England, Argentina, etc. Cazenave recorded two "jams" with Steven Halpern ("Spanish Impromptu", 1994) and Anthony Phillips ("The Meadows of Englewood", 1995) as well as two videos with each musician.
• 1997-98: Performances in U.S.A., Spain, Mexico, and in programs for the BBC and the Spanish National Radio: Radio Nacional de España.
• 1999-2001: Re-released of his catalogue in new CDs with extra tracks.
• 2002-04: Settled in Southern France, starting recordings for his new project “Ser”. Release of Duplex (duets with different musicians since the 70s until present time) and release of the double album “Two Suns” (with Jeremy Morris) a collection of beautiful pop and psychedelics songs.
• 2005-06: Cazenave’s book + CD “The Night of the Grail” is published in Spain. Release of the album “Parthenon”, with Ronald Lloyd.
• 2007-08: Release of “Ser”, Cazenave’s first solo studio album since 1996. Release of “Box Populi” (Box-Set of 4 CDs), including instrumental music and songs.

Essential Discography

• Tales of Former Times
• One More Space
• Two More Spaces (2 CDs)
• Demos Le (collection of demos)
• Tower (live in Rennes-le-Château)
• Spanish Impromptu (with Steven Halpern)
• The Meadows of Englewood (with Anthony Phillips)
• Vivo Vien (live anthology)
• Here
• All Our Lives (double album with Anthony Phillips)
• Era Buena
• Two Suns (double album with Jeremy Morris)
• Dúplex (collection of duets with musicians as Anthony Phillips, Steven Halpern, Jeremy Morris, Ronald Lloyd, Litto Nebbia, etc.)
• Parthenon (with Ronald Lloyd)
• Ser (his new studio album)
• Box Populi (Box-Set with 4 CDs)

Books (only available in Spanish)

• The Sound of the Universe (1988)
• Music for a New Age (1992)
• Music Theraphy and Biomusic (1995)
• The Night of the Grail -Book + CD- (2006)
• Astrosonía (2007)

Videos

• Caleidoscope (mid 80s)
• Metamusic (1993)
• Paradise -with Steven Halpern- (1994)
• From Genesis... to Revelation -with Anthony Phillips- (1995)
• Ganges: Sacred River -co-produced with Atilio Spinello- (1997)
• The Meadows of Englewood -with Anthony Phillips- (1998)
• Tibetan Journey -with Gaden Shartse Monastic Choir- (1998)
• A Day with the Dalai Lama (1999)

plus many other videos and music for tv and radio in more than 40 countries

Magazines

• Mellotron (specialized in Progressive & Symphonic Music)

• • Mellotron Europe
  • Mellotron Argentina