ARTIST BIO

At the young age of fourteen, studying the clarinet in his junior high school orchestra made Resto realize that he could play only one squeaky octave at best and that after a year of practice and complete banishment from his family at home, he accepted that the clarinet was just not his instrument! Resto really wanted to play the bass, the instrument that Antonio “Bello” Ortiz, his grandfather played professionally, who taught him solfege and how to sight-read music at the youthful age of eight. The school band director said there were too many bassists in the orchestra, so young Resto pleaded and waited for a year until the age of fifteen, when he was finally allowed to play the bass in his junior high school orchestra. It took three months of intensive technical and physical development on the bass that allowed him to begin his professional music performance career.
Resto remembers his first music job at 15, where he was asked to perform at a wedding. He played at the wedding, got paid very well, wore a tuxedo for the first time and ate wedding cake. He had an epiphany that day. “I get paid this much money to play the bass, dress like James Bond, but most importantly, I get to eat wedding cake too! I can do this!” This was the start of a new life of performing, touring, teaching, recording and a film career that took him around the world at a very young age. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, he was exposed to a multitude of cultures and ethnicities.
This helped him to develop rapidly as a versatile bassist and was immediately sought after to perform by major performers and music groups. That sweet taste of wedding cake launched him into a non-stop freelance bassist career that captured the New York City Afro-Latin music scene of the 1970s and 1980s. This genre made a huge impact to the music of that time and to the music of today as well. Edward Resto’s musical specialty was, and still is Afro Latin, Jazz and Latin-Jazz music.
By the age of 17, Resto was asked to perform for the hugely popular Afro Latin jazz orchestra “The Machito Orchestra” led by Latin Jazz giant, Mario Bauza. This was a turning point in his young career as he stayed on with this orchestra for 8 months. The exposure that he received from this wonderful opportunity led him to be demanded by many other great orchestras, bands and increased his musical opportunities. It was then that he realized he was on his way to something huge in the area of Afro Latin and Jazz music.
By 19 years of age, Resto joined the Eddie Palmieri Orchestra in 1975, which had just won a Grammy for the recording of “The Sun of Latin Music”. This recording opened up a new category for Latin music, as the Grammies had never before recognized or conceived Afro Latin music as a viable art form.
As a result of this Grammy award, Palmieri enjoyed his most celebrated time and traveled the world extensively. Resto stayed on with Eddie Palmieri where he performed in major music venues and world-class music festivals involving Pop, Jazz, Rock and R&B music showing the music world how amazing and powerful Afro Latin music is. Resto had immense exposure at such a young age and as a result has performed, shared the stage, recorded and toured with notable artists such as Ruben Blades, Sonny Stitt, Tito Puente, Joe Cuba, Dizzy Guillespie, Jack Dejohnette, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, Mongo Santamaria, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Harlow, Tania Maria, Rufus Reid, Airto and Flora Purim, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Carlos Santana, Daniel Ponce, Hector La Voe, Bobby Capo, Jaco Pastorius, Jose Fajardo, Gonzalo Fernandez, Nestor Torres, Eddie Zervigon, Mon Rivera, Willie Colon, Manny Oquendo y Libre, Bobby Capo, Dexter Gordon, Antonio Portanet, Sabicas, John Faddis, Lew Solof, Tom Malone, La Sonora Matancera, Eddie Gomez, Hilton Ruiz, Ismael Rivera, Artie Webb, Edy Martinez, Soledad Bravo, Maria Benitez, Candido, Jorge Dalto, Max Roach, Charlie Palmieri, Cortijo, Puntilla, Pete “EI Conde” Rodriguez, La Lupe and others too numerous to mention.
Resto moved to Los Angeles in 1988 and continued to perform, tour, record and share the stage with talents such as Justo Almario, Alex Acuna, Larry Coryell, Strunz and  Farah, Liz Torres, Marilyn McCoo, Luis Conte, Chick Corea, Poncho Sanchez, Rene Touzet, Don Tosti, Francisco Aguabella, Joni Mitchell, the Estrada Brothers, Patato Valdez, Cal Tjader, Kenny Burrell, Armando Perraza, Sammy Figueroa, Benny Maupin, Rita Moreno, Herbie Hancock, John Santos, Tony Bennett, Dave Pike, Bobby Shew, Shakira, Ray Armando, Dave Samuels and “the Caribbean Jazz Project”, Jennifer Lopez, Kenny Kirkland, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Stanley Clarke, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Paul Rodriguez show, Candi Sosa, The Fania All Stars, Paul Simon, Lalo Guerrero and many others.
This exceptional bassist holds a master’s degree in Afro-Latin music from California State University of Los Angeles, where he also earned a BM degree in Jazz Studies and Performance. He maintains a strenuous music and film/television performance schedule, is a single father of his daughter Melina Resto, and serves his community by sharing, educating and empowering young people with the gift of music performances and studies.
He is affiliated with inner city youth organizations such as the Henry Mancini Institute, the Pasadena Pops Orchestra, the Urban League of America and the Boys and Girls Club of America. Because of his extensive experience in a broad range of musical styles, he has earned a reputation as a first class bassist regardless of the setting whether it is live, recorded, film, film/television soundtrack and/or sideline. He continues to contract for the above-mentioned musical settings.