Pocket Giants

Your audience will be treated to well-rehearsed, tastefully-arranged music with a jazz groove that will make them tap their feet. They'll hear a mixture of instrumental and vocal music, depending on the expectations for the particular event. And ultimately, your audience can expect an engaging experience, musically and also in terms of banter between front man Guillermo and the audience in between songs.

The core of Pocket Giants consists of jazz guitarist/vocalist Guillermo Villar and jazz pianist Evan Katzke. Guillermo and Evan met in Charlotte in 2019 and have been playing around town as a jazz duo since then, sometimes adding other musicians depending on the gig.

Guillermo's musical evolution started in Latin America in the 1970s and 80s. Having grown up in Puerto Rico and Venezuela during that time, his music is rooted in a mixture of rock, pop, and Latin music that was being pumped out by radio stations there at the time. Once he moved to the U.S. to attend college, he got interested in jazz and has found opportunities to study it and play it in various settings. He now looks to share his jazz and Latin-inspired music with willing listeners.

Evan has been playing piano and keyboards for over 40 years. During early training he recognized his preference for jazz and improvisation, and eventually trained with jazz pianists at the University of Illinois. His studies led to supporting several jazz groups over the years and composing/recording as well. Evan enjoys playing a wide variety of jazz styles, including classic swing and latin, as well as funk/fusion based grooves.

With Pocket Giants, Guillermo and Evan write new jazz and also play standards that people recognize from all sorts of genres. You're just as likely to hear them perform a Beatles song as a bossa nova, a straight-ahead Miles Davis tune, or one of their original compositions.