Gino Castillo, Interview by Kieran Walsh Taylor, 2 February, 2017
Date:
2017
Interviewer:
Castillo, Gino
Interviewee:
Taylor, Kieran Walsh
Description:
Gino Castillo was born in Quito, Ecuador in 1974. His maternal grandparents raised him and introduced him to classical and Cuban music. He started playing drums when he was thirteen years old. As a drummer, he toured with rock bands in his country, Latin America, and Europe. In 1998, studying in Cuba, he decided to focus completely on hand percussion. Castillo moved to New York with his family in 2010 and was there for about a year. Then, he relocated in the Lowcountry lured by the promise of a great opportunity to play music. After realizing the deal was not real, he tried different jobs to support his family. He was frustrated and depressed but determined to play music. He connected with local musicians such as Charlton Singleton and Quentin Baxter and through them with the Charleston Latin Jazz Collective. Castillo reflects about the changes in the Charleston music scene since he arrived in town in 2010. He talks about the challenges of carving a niche for Latin Jazz and funk music. He discusses his participation in the Charleston Jazz Collective, his collaboration with other musicians and the success of the Salsa Nights in Voodoo. Castillo recorded his first solo album Ya llegué in 2008 and in 2014 released SoulFunKubanized.
This interview is a part of the COHP's "Working Charleston" series. Working Charleston documents the on and off job experiences of the longshoremen and lawyers, the bartenders and carriage drivers, hospital aides and high tech workers who make Charleston among the nation's prime tourist destinations and vital centers of global trade. The digital recordings and transcripts are part of The Citadel Oral History Program Collection at The Citadel Archives & Museum.
