José "Layo" Puentes
   José “Layo” Puentes was born in Los Teques in the state of Miranda,
Venezuela.
He began his musical career with the group Aguinaldos in San Pedro de
los Altos. His interest in music started with percussion and proceeded to
the Venezuelan cuatro, electric bass and piano. He took part in a variety of
bands, playing electric bass and maracas.
At 23 he joined the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra movement in Los Teques
as a double bass student. One year later he joined the Youth Orchestra of
Caracas and three years later the Simón Bolívar Orchestra, taking
summer courses with such reknowned double bass players as Cristoh
Smith (Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra soloist), Antonio García
(National Orchestra of Spain soloist) and Gary Karr (international soloist).
He toured with the orchestra in Holland, England, Paris, Japan, Spain and
Mexico and participated in the orchestra’s recording of 5 compact discs
under Mexican maestro Eduardo Mata.
He was invited to Mexico and Uruguay to play the maracas in Venezuelan
composer Antonio Estévez’s “Cantata Criolla.” In popular music, he
accompanied Serenata Guayanesa, Gualberto Ibarreto and Cecilia Tood
on double bass, as well as founding the string quartet Xöropo and
recording the maracas on "América Amereida," Jorge Guzmán’s first
compact disc.
In addition to his musical studies at the conservatory of
the Venezuelan youth orchestra movement, he
completed two semesters at the Instituto de Estudios
Musicales (IUDEM).
In August of 2001 he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
where he studied double bass for two years with
Anthony Bianco at Carnegie Mellon University.
He is currently studying electric bass with Jeff Mangone,
jazz professor at Duquesne University.
Bassist and singer "Layo" Puentes
Layo in this picture Jamming with Venezuelan
Percussionist JOSE GUILLEN