Pocket Giants promo reel
STIR Charlotte mix
Renaissance Hotel
Tosco Music Holiday Party
Vocal jazz medley at Eighty Eights
Playing at Eighty Eights jazz club in Charlotte, NC
Playing at STIR Charlotte
Fundraising event for Mental Health America
Renaissance Hotel
Backstage at Tosco Music Festival
Playing at Eighty Eights jazz club in Charlotte, NC
Playing at STIR Charlotte
Playing at CIAF Festival in Charlotte, NC
Rhino Market & Deli
Pocket Giants are jazz guitarist and vocalist Guillermo Villar and jazz pianist Evan Katzke, sometimes with their musician friends. We can provide a range of instrumental or vocal jazz standards, Latin music, and jazz originals around the greater Charlotte, NC region. We can provide a duo with the core Pocket Giants lineup and also trios (usually adding percussion) and quartets depending on your needs. Typical gigs include festivals, wedding reception cocktail hours, dinner parties, and restaurant/bar entertainment.
5 reviews
Heather G.
July 29, 2025These guys performed for a neighborhood party in a heatwave! Such great sports and we did everything to keep them cool- music was the perfect ambiance for our annual adults only neighborhood gathering. Thanks for everything!
Hired as: Jazz Band
Juliana M.
January 4, 2025We hired pocket giants to play for our apartment's annual Christmas party and received feedback that it was the best event they've ever had. Everyone including myself thought they were so talented. Their set up was wonderful their communication was great, and their sound was beyond amazing! Their set list was exactly what I asked for and I was so glad that they were able to match the theme of the party, which was great Gatsby. I'm making it a point to listen to them again in my free time because I enjoyed them so thoroughly the first time!!
Hired as: Jazz Band
Alana G.
March 31, 2024Guillermo Villar's jazz trio was a great fit for our Cultural Stage as part of the Charlotte International Arts Festival 2023. They played a combination of Latin and traditional swing jazz, both vocal and instrumental. We appreciated them including a mix original material and crowd favorites, keeping everyone engaged. We're looking forward to working with Guillermo again.
Hired as: Jazz Band, Latin Band
Pocket Giants
Thanks so much for your review, Alana! We were delighted to be part of the 2023 CIAF, and we too look forward to working with you again!
Andrea T.
March 21, 2024Our nonprofit was extremely pleased with the music provided by Guillermo and Evan for our 2019 Art In Mind event at the Harvey B. Gantt Center in uptown Charlotte. They set the artistic and aesthetically-pleasing atmosphere for our silent auction. They offered the perfect blend of traditional and Latin jazz and were not only background music but drew an audience of event-goers sitting to enjoy the music. They were consummate professionals, working with our event sound person - arriving early to set-up and truly providing top-quality and seamless performance throughout the evening.
Hired as: Jazz Band
Pocket Giants
We're so glad you were pleased with the music we provided for your Art In Mind event, Andrea! Thank you for your kind words, and keep us in mind for future events.
K. L.
March 15, 2024The perfect musical complement to our SouthEnd ARTS events! The duo of Guillermo and Evan played swing and bossa nova songs that got people tapping their feet and swaying to the music. They were also easy to work with and integrate into our event. They set up quietly and seamlessly in the background before the event and played at a nice, “social” volume level while the attendees mingled and enjoyed the art being displayed. I had hired them a few times before this event, and I’ll call on them to provide music for similar events in the future.
Hired as: Jazz Band, Latin Band
Pocket Giants
K, thanks so much taking the time to submit your kind review. We enjoyed playing your events and are glad that our music was well received. Hope to play for you again soon!
Price range: $350 and up
Languages: English, Spanish
Gig length: 60 - 180 minutes
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.
(originals plus the following representative list...)
All of Me
All the Things You Are
Autumn Leaves
Besame Mucho
Black Orpheus
Blue Skies
Blue Monk
Cause We've Ended As Lovers
Cantaloupe Island
Days of Wine and Roses
Fly Me To the Moon
Footprints
Girl From Ipanema
On Green Dolphin Street
Guantanamera
Have You Met Miss Jones
I Got Rhythm
Just Friends
A Night In Tunisia
My Foolish Heart
Over The Rainbow
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Quizas, Quizas, Quizas)
Michelle (Beatles)
The Shadow of Your Smile
Something (Beatles - reggae)
Song For My Father
Stella by Starlight
Stolen Moments
Straight No Chaser
Summertime
Sunny
There Will Never Be Another You
Wave
What a Wonderful World
Yesterday (Beatles)
Jazz Band