Caracas Trio is a New York-based Venezuelan musical group that has been captivating audiences with their unique sound and style. The trio is made up of three highly talented musicians, each bringing their own individual flair to the group. Their music is deeply rooted in the Afro-Venezuelan rhythms and melodic improvisation that form the foundation of Venezuelan folk music.
What sets Caracas Trio apart is their use of a distinctive instrumentation consisting of keyboards, drums, and vibraphone. This combination of instruments allows the group to create a diverse range of sounds and colors, weaving together intricate rhythms and melodies in their compositions.
In addition to their musical prowess, the members of Caracas Trio also share bass parts, percussion, and vocal duties, adding to the richness and complexity of their sound. Their music is a fusion of traditional Venezuelan folk music with modern elements, resulting in a unique and innovative sound that appeals to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Caracas Trio's compositions are known for their rhythmic and melodic complexity, exploring the immense variations of rhythms and grooves found in Venezuelan music. They incorporate a mix of drums and Venezuelan percussion instruments, paired with the melodic dexterity and improvisation featured by the keyboard and vibraphone. The result is music that is at once deeply rooted in tradition and yet contemporary and fresh.
Overall, Caracas Trio strives to connect with the folkloric spirit of music, while incorporating modern elements and techniques. Their music is a celebration of the rich cultural heritage of Venezuela, and a testament to the enduring power and beauty of music as a universal language.
The band members are Gabriel Chakarji, Juan Diego Villalobos, and Daniel Prim.
Gabriel Chakarji — Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
Gabriel Chakarji is a GRAMMY award-winning pianist and composer known for his unique blend of Venezuelan and New York City jazz music. Growing up in Caracas, Gabriel was exposed to a rich variety of musical styles, including Afro-Venezuelan folk, Caribbean, and Brazilian music, as well as jazz and gospel hymns. He eventually moved to New York City to explore new musical frontiers and has since performed at some of the city's most iconic venues, including Carnegie Hall, Blue Note, and Dizzy's Club.
Gabriel has released two critically acclaimed albums as a bandleader: "Vida" and "New Beginning". His composition "Enredadera" was nominated for best jazz single at the 20th edition of the Independent Music Awards in New York City. In 2022, Gabriel was awarded the prestigious Jazz Gallery Residency Commission and the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.
In addition to his successful career as a bandleader, Gabriel has collaborated with a diverse range of artists and companies around the world, including Disney's "Encanto Sing-Along Show", Jeremy Bosh, Luis Enrique, Ari Hoenig, Luisito Quintero, and Dayna Stephens. His compositions and playing reflect his passion for social justice and multiculturalism, embodying the diverse rhythms, harmonies, and influences that make up his unique musical identity.
Juan Diego Villalobos — Vibraphone, Percussion, Vocals
Latin Grammy- winning Juan Diego Villalobos has developed a varied career as a composer, arranger, and performer, making him one of the most sought-after vibraphone players in New York. Originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, Villalobos comes from a musical family that initiated him in Venezuelan folkloric music at really young age, and with whom he performed at different festivals around Mexico and Venezuela. In 2010, Juan Diego moved to Caracas to study at the Simon Bolívar Music Conservatory. At the same time he was part of the renowned Teresa Carreño Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and performed across Europe, Asia and the US as a classical percussionist, sharing the stage with Christian Vazquez and the acclaimed conductor Gustavo Dudamel. In 2014 he was selected to perform at Lang Lang & Friends, a concert held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, in celebration of the 69th anniversary of its founding, with special guests such as Sting, Alec Baldwin, and Lang Lang himself.
In 2017 Juan Diego released his first album, Perspectiva, which reimagined jazz and Afro-Venezuelan music to create a unique new sound based on their common roots. Villalobos won a full scholarship in 2018 to study jazz vibraphone under the tutelage of Stefon Harris and Joe Locke at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where he also studied with luminaries like Buster Williams, Kendrick Scott and Miguel Zenon. That same year, Villalobos was awarded a Latin GRAMMY for his participation on the album Identidad by Venezuelan cuatro player Miguel Siso. Juan Diego frequently plays at distinguished New York venues including Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Harlem Stage, Smalls Jazz Club and Birdland, performing his own work and alongside Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo O’Farrill, Jeremy Pelt, Luis Perdomo, John Beasley, and others.
Daniel Prim — Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Daniel Prim is a Latin Grammy-winning Venezuelan drummer and percussionist specializing in jazz, Latin, and Afro-Venezuelan music. Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he started his formal music studies at 12 years old at Jose Reina Music School. He later attended the Simón Bolivar Conservatory of Music, part of the National Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela, “El Sistema”, created by maestro José Antonio Abreu. In 2013 Daniel moved to Los Angeles to study under the mentorship of drummer Jeff Hamilton, and 2016 he moved to New York City, where he currently resides. He has performed with such luminaries as Victor Wooten, Luis Perdomo, Stafford Hunter, Etienne Charles, Roberto Quintero, Roy Wooten, Edmar Castañeda, Dayna Stephens, Ella Bric, Adam O’Farrill, Luis Perdomo, and others. In addition to his formal training, Daniel has studied and mastered the traditional drumming of his Afro-Venezuelan roots and has taught master classes in Afro-Venezuelan drumming at Berklee College of Music and Salem State University. He also teaches jazz and Latin music through the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance and New York University. In his own projects, Daniel seeks to mix Afro-Venezuelan rhythms and instrumentation with jazz composition and technique. He will release the first album under his own name, Daniel Prim y Su Parampanpan, in the fall of 2022.