"A striking combination of jazz sensiblility applied to argentine folk rhythms." Boston Herald "Passion in music is always good; passion shaped by elegant concepts is even better. Argentinean native Julio Santillán leading this trio's compelling blend of classic guitar, argentinean folk and jazz, is even better." -The Village Voice (New York) To describe the music of Los Changos, you would have to learn different languages: the language of classical music that had a strong impact in the development of composer Julio Santillan; the language of Tango and folkloric music of his native Argentina and the language of jazz, that is evident in the new generations of composers. But I would dare to say, that not even understanding these worlds you would be able to describe the magic hidden behind this fine ensamble of musicians. Those three styles, so different from each other, find in “Los changos” a point of connection, a door to unlimited musical possibilities. Los Changos’s was formed by guitarist/composer Julio Santillan and drummer Franco Pinna when they both attended Berklee College of music in 1998. Bassist Fernando Huergo, a Berklee faculty, joined them later and the group started recording and performing in and outside the US. They have participated in many concerts and festivals in the east coast including: XIII International Folk Festival (Boston, MA); III & IV Argentina Jazz Festival (New York, NY); II,III & IV Latin Culture Week (Boston, MA). The group has toured Argentina in many opportunities. In 2001 the trio released their first CD called “Desde el Norte” (BigSur Records). In 2003 Los Changos added voice, flute, clarinet and accordion and released "Anit Negra" (BigSur Records), their first CD as a septet. "Ñann", their last cd was released in 2005 by the new york label CAP records. The repertoire of the ensamble is original music by Julio Santillan, who received the prestigious “Meet the Composer/Van Lier Fellowship Award” in 2004, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, the Arif Mardin Award and the ASCAPlus Award. Julio A. Santillán is part of a new generation of Argentinean composers that uses the strong rhythms of folklore with contemporary harmonies. He received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, the Arif Mardin Award and the Contemporary Writing and Production Achievement Award. He has graduated from Berklee College of Music. He has recorded and performed with many musicians from Argentina, Boston and New York including Raúl Carnota, César Isella, Oscar Stagnaro and Sandra Mihanovich. Fernando Huergo has performed with Mike Stern, Danilo Perez, Dave Weckl, David Sanchez, Dave Liebman, Claudio Roditi, Tom Harrell, Jeff Ballard, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Dave Kikoski. He teaches bass at Berklee College of Music. He has recorded more than 60 albums and toured with many latin-jazz artists from New York and Boston. Franco Pinna has performed and recorded with some of the best folklore musicians in Argentina, like Lucho Hoyos, Cesar Isella and Leopoldo Deza. In the U.S. he has played with Jeff Ballard, Bruce Barth, Oscar Stagnaro, Chris Cheek, Guillermo Klein, Oscar Feldman and Claudio Ragazzi among many others He graduated from Berklee College of Music. He studied and developed a unique style based on folklore percussion techniques.