Draft:Andres Pollak
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Andrés Pollak | |
|---|---|
| Born | Santiago, Chile |
| Almamater | Berklee College of Music |
| Occupations | Pianist, Composer, Music Producer, Business Executive |
| Knownfor | Latin American jazz, film scoring, EastSide Sound Studios, Empresas Tricot S.A. |
Andrés Pollak Ben-David is a Chilean musician, composer, recording engineer, and business executive. He is known for his work as a pianist and composer with the Chilean jazz fusion bands Cometa and La Marraqueta, his film scoring credits including Johnny 100 Pesos (1993), and his ownership of EastSide Sound Studios in New York City. Since 2021, he has served as president of the board of directors of Empresas Tricot S.A., a Chilean retail company.
Early Life and Education
[edit ]Pollak was born in Santiago, Chile. He began studying classical piano at age seven with concert pianist Oscar Gacitua, and later learned guitar and drums as a teenager. He was influenced by the rock music of the 1970s and discovered jazz through Miles Davis's album Bitches Brew (1970). In 1977, he took guitar lessons with American singer-songwriter David Lamar, who was then living in Chile.
Pollak attended Colegio Hebreo in Santiago. After graduation, he enrolled in commercial engineering at the Universidad de Chile, which he did not complete. In 1981, he moved to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he graduated cum laude in 1985 with a Bachelor of Music in Film Scoring.
Music Career
[edit ]Early Bands
[edit ]Pollak's first significant band was Los Trapos, a rock group led by Eduardo Valenzuela, where he played keyboards. Los Trapos was formed in 1965 and was known for its glam-rock and experimental approach. The band's rotating lineup during the late 1970s included Pollak on keyboards. Los Trapos disbanded in 1980.
In the early 2000s, Pollak briefly joined Los Blops, a pioneering Chilean folk-rock and progressive rock band originally formed in 1964. He played keyboards during the band's 2001-2003 reunion period.
Cometa
[edit ]In the mid-1980s, after returning to Chile, Pollak joined Cometa, a six-member jazz-rock fusion band formed in Santiago and active between 1981 and 1989. The group included guitarist Edgardo Riquelme, bassist Pablo Lecaros, and drummer Pedro Greene. Cometa released one self-titled album in 1988. In 2020, the label Lago Frio reissued the album on digital platforms, and the original members reunited for a performance at the Anfiteatro Andes in 2018 to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's formation.
La Marraqueta
[edit ]Following the dissolution of Cometa, Pollak, Lecaros, and Greene formed La Marraqueta in 1992. The band developed what its members called "jazz fusion criolla," combining jazz improvisation with Chilean folk and Mapuche musical elements. The group has been described by musicologists as one of the most significant proposals in the history of Chilean jazz.
La Marraqueta released its debut album in 1995, followed by Sayhueque in 2000 and La Marraqueta III in 2005. The third album featured extensive composition work by Pollak and included the participation of vocalist Paz Court. In 2010, the group performed at the San Jose Jazz Festival in California, sharing the bill with George Clinton, Maceo Parker, and Tower of Power. The band released its fourth album, Astral, in 2022.
Session and production work
[edit ]Pollak has worked as a session musician and producer for various Chilean artists. In 1995, he played electric piano (Fender Rhodes and Kurzweil) on two tracks of Patana, an album by the Angel Parra Trio. He also produced Pablo Herrera's album Mas Arriba (1992), serving as producer, keyboardist, and programmer. The album was recorded at Sonus studios and became Herrera's best-selling record.
In 2026, Pollak served as co-producer, recording engineer, and pianist/organist on Ave de Luz: Chilean Jazz & Soul, an album by Latin Grammy-nominated vocalist Claudia Acuna released on Delfin Records. The album also featured on Chilean instruments.
In 2025, Pollak worked as recording engineer on Refugio, an album by singer-songwriter Nano Stern. On May 27, 2026, the album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Premios Pulsar in Chile.
Advertising and jingle work
[edit ]In the late 1980s, Pollak worked as an assistant to trumpeter Daniel Lencina before founding his own production company. In 1989, he partnered with sound engineer Hernan Rojas to establish Sonus, a recording studio in the Bellavista neighborhood of Santiago. The studio produced work for Chilean bands including Los Tres, La Ley, and Upa!, and developed audiovisual campaigns for clients including Becker beer and Tricot. Sonus was acquired by Chilefilms in 1995. Pollak later founded Bandurria studio in 2003.
Film scoring
[edit ]Pollak composed the original music for Johnny 100 Pesos (1993), directed by Gustavo Graef-Marino. The film was reviewed in The New York Times and Variety. He also composed the score for the sequel, Johnny 100 Pesos: 20 Years and a Day Later (2017), and for El Vacio (2023), also directed by Graef-Marino.
Additional film scoring credits include Monvoisin (2009), Casa de remolienda (2007), La invencion del sueno (2018), and the short documentary El horizonte del pulso (2021). He also scored episodes of the Chilean television series Heroes, including the chapters "Balmaceda" and "Prat".
In 1989, Pollak received the award for best advertising music from the Asociacion Chilena de Arte Publicitaria (Achap) and was named jazz musician of the year by Radio Universidad de Chile.
Recording and production work
[edit ]Pollak has operated several recording studios in Chile, including SONUS and Bandurria. In 2022, he acquired EastSide Sound Studios in New York City from founder Lou Holtzman, who had operated the facility since 1972. The studio, located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, has recorded artists including Lou Reed, John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Les Paul, and Hal Willner. In 2024, EastSide Sound installed a Harrison 32Classic analog mixing console, the first of its kind in New York City.
Business career
[edit ]Pollak joined Empresas Tricot S.A. in 1997 in a marketing management role. The company, founded by his father Jaime Pollak Ganz, is a Chilean retail clothing business. Pollak became vice president of the board of directors in 2004. Following the death of his brother Eduardo Pollak Ben-David in May 2021, Andres Pollak assumed the presidency of the board. According to company disclosures, the Pollak Ben-David family controls 71.9% of the company through Inversiones Retail Chile S.A., with Andres Pollak Ben-David holding a 17.29% stake in the controlling entity.
In April 2024, the company announced changes to its board of directors, with the resignation of Carolina Lanis Pollak and Henry Pollak Ben-David and the appointment of a new generation of family members.
Personal life
[edit ]Pollak is married and has three children. His son (master of Jazz music guitarist NYU) Nicolás Pollak, serves as chief producer and operations supervisor at EastSide Sound Studios.
Discography
[edit ]With Cometa
- Cometa (1988)
With La Marraqueta
- La Marraqueta (1995)
- Sayhueque (2000)
- La Marraqueta III (2005)
- Astral (2022)
As sideman
- Angel Parra Trio - Patana (1995) - electric piano (tracks 8, 9)
- Claudia Acuna - Ave de Luz: Chilean Jazz & Soul (2026) - piano, organ, co-producer, recording engineer
As producer
- Pablo Herrera - Mas Arriba (1992) - producer, keyboards, programming
- Nano Stern - Refugio (2025) - recording engineer
Film scores
- Johnny 100 Pesos (1993)
- Casa de remolienda (2007)
- Monvoisin (2009)
- Johnny 100 Pesos: 20 Years and a Day Later (2017)
- La invencion del sueno (2018)
- El horizonte del pulso (2021)
- El Vacio (2023)
External links
[edit ]References
[edit ]- "Manhattan recording studio makes musical magic". NY1. January 7, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- "EastSide Sound Nabs NYC's First Harrison 32Classic Console". Mix Online. November 21, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "MixOnline" is not used in the content (see the help page).
Category:Chilean pianists Category:Jazz composers Category:Chilean composers Category:Film score composers Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Santiago, Chile