Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Nelson Gonzalez Barreto is a bassist, composer, arranger, and band leader residing in Oklahoma City. As a sought-after bassist, Nelson has shared stage with various artists both in the OKC jazz and pop scene, as well as performed in several important venues such as Tower Theatre, 51st Speakeasy, UCO Jazz Lab, etc. With his music, Nelson explores a delicate balance between his academic training in jazz along with his cultural background in traditional Venezuelan and afro-Venezuelan music. This unique sound serves as a catalyst to showcase music that touches deep and emotional themes such as immigration, nostalgia, isolation, and love.
It Blurs as We Speak serves as a reflection of life post-pandemic, and how events and feelings start to merge together into one big blur. Each piece reflects a specific event in which it is easy to say what happened but not when it happened, the only exception to this rule applies to the last 3 pieces, “A Suite for Juan Barreto” a series of songs dedicated to Nelson’s grandfather who passed away in late 2021. For this album Nelson combines elements of his own Venezuelan culture with a contemporary jazz scope to bring something unique that feels danceable and cathartic.