Take Five With...
FIDEL CUELLAR A native of Bogota, Colombia, Fidel Cuellar moved to New York City in 2007 to continue his apprenticeship as a jazz pianist and composer under the tutelage of renowned musicians like Bruce Barth, Mike Holober, and John Patitucci. In 2009, Cuellar graduated summa cum laude from the City College of New York’s jazz performance program. Fidel Cuellar’s stylistic versatility but distinct pianistic approach has put him in the radar of some of New York’s best jazz, Latin-jazz, and world-music musicians like award-winning 70 All About Jazz Magazine
drummer Bobby Sanabria, flautist Carlos Jimenez and many others. Cuellar’s recording credits include Thoughts (Martinete Music, 2008), by Carlos Jimenez, which features Vince Cherico on drums and bassist Ruben Rodriguez, and Future Connection, a collective jazz trio with Carlos del Pino
and Rafael Monteagudo. He has performed as bandleader and a sideman in world-class venues and festivals like Iridium, Joe’s Pub, The Knitting Factory, La Casita Festival at Lincoln Center, and The Highline Ballroom. Instrument(s): Piano. Teachers and/or influences? At school, I studied with Mike Holober, John Patitucci, Alison Deane, Scott Reeves, and Dan Carillo. But my all time favorite private piano teacher is the great Bruce Barth. In Colombia, my long time teacher was Ricardo Uribe. Ricardo introduced me to jazz language and theory. He also helped me work on my technique. Niko