That One Voice

Classical guitarist and visual artist Gabriel Ayala on bringing his own Indigenous perspective to Tucson Meet Yourself

As told to Kayleigh Stack in 2022 as part of an oral history project, 50 Years of Tucson Meet Yourself, for which we interviewed long-time participants on their Tucson Meet Yourself experience and how their tenure with the festival impacted their lives or careers. Find additional interviews here.

“Multidimentional artist” Gabriel Ayala performs original material in a style he calls “JazzMenco,” a fusion of flamenco and jazz. A classical guitarist who earned a master’s degree in music performance from the University of Arizona in 1997, Ayala has recorded classical, flamenco, tango and jazz albums and has toured throughout the United States and internationally. He has appeared at the Poway Center for Performing Arts, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Museum for the American Indian, and Oscar Meyer Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. Ayala is also a visual artist and jewelry maker.

I am from the Pascua Yaqui tribe here in Tucson. I was primarily raised by my grandmother and took a liking to many instruments—piano, saxophone, choir, traditional native flute, etcetera. Until started playing the guitar at about age fourteen or so. That really changed my world. I thought, “This is what I want to do the rest of my life. I want to tour and play music around the world.”

I mean, rock and roll was great at the time, because that’s what everybody wanted to play, you know, it was the pop thing. I wanted to do like all the melodies and be playing Bach and Chopin. So, I set that in motion.

I remember different family members playing an instrument, but it just faded out. My grandmother said that I took it all from everybody else. It was a positive addiction for me in life. If I was sad, I could play a sad song. If I was happy, I could play a happy song. It was my way healing myself without having to seek out anything. It was my sanctuary, my haven.

I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. I’ve never touched drugs my whole life. I live my life as a man of prayer. I feel that some of these songs that I’ve created are more like prayers and people have responded and told me that as well. It’s really nice to be able to feel the spiritual aspect of who I am as an Indigenous male incorporated or hidden in there, whether it be on purpose or by accident.

I am a singer. I sing at our, our ceremonies, sing at our funerals, sing at celebrations and whatnot. It’s very important for me. I sing all the time.

When I am composing a new song, I’ll actually sing the melody. I grab a cup of tea, I go sit outside and just start singing. If a melody hits me, I grab my phone and I hit record. I save that melody and then maybe a day later, maybe months later, I open up my phone and I say, “What was that melody? Let me add some chords to this. Let me add a full structure to it.”

 My way of composing is based on the voice. I think it really changes the way that the melodic structure is built because at some point I have to take a breath. If I’m just doing it on the guitar, I can just keep playing melody, melody, melody, until I think it’s done. But I think the voice definitely mandates where that melody should end.

I studied all over the world with many of today’s leading pedagogues. I got a full scholarship towards my undergrad at Texas A&M, a full scholarship at my master’s at the University of Arizona. Once I graduated, I entered tons and tons of competitions, lost a lot of them, but the ones that I won, they felt like they were the right ones. It really helped boost my musical career.

I was very fortunate to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. I mean, what an amazing thing to be sitting there, reflecting on my life. We all think of these giant dreams, you know? Nowadays I say that my reality has far surpassed my dreams. I was also invited to perform at the second inaugural ball for Barack Obama. Again, not a bad gig. Just months prior, I was flown to Rome to perform for the Pope at the Vatican in St. Peter’s Square for over 160,000 people.

It’s a cutthroat industry, and I always felt like I was a minority amongst a minority. I mean, classical music and then on top of that, I was Native American. Sometimes I’d perform or show up to a concert, and I was stereotyped. They’d say, “So where is your flute?” And I’d say, “My flute? I’m a classically trained guitarist. I have a master’s degree in music. I got my guitar, I hope that’s good enough.”

I’ve never sold myself as a Native American classical guitarist. I’m a classical musician that just happens to be Indigenous. I’m not going to paint my face and wear feathers in my hair. I don’t want to sell my culture so that I can have a career.

About five years ago, I decided I wanted to start painting. There was a style of artwork that I’d always really admired called ledger art. It’s based on the canvas of a ledger from the 1800s, and it’s Indigenous-based. I first started it on a piece of piano sheet music, which was Bach. Later I started to use ledger paper, once I started being able to find ledger paper from the 1800s.

In the last five years, I’ve been very fortunate to have been featured in many museums all over the United States, as well as winning prizes for best in show and first place. One of the largest ones was the Eiteljorg Museum [of American Indians and Western Art] in Indianapolis. They used my image on all of their promotions, shirts, everything. At that point in my career, I’d only been painting for two years.

Again, I’m very thankful for those opportunities. I’m just trying to create artwork with cultural influences that people are afraid to talk about. I’ve painted things based on residential boarding schools with Indigenous people. I’ve painted things with Indigenous people blowing up a wall to show that there should be no borders between the US and Mexico. It’s important for me to create those images and get those messages out to people.

I’m not trying to be a spokesman for all Indigenous people. I’m just trying to be that one voice, because sometimes people afraid or don’t know how to use their voice.

I performed for the Arizona Diamondbacks many times playing the national anthem. The most recent time was two years ago. On the backside of my guitar, I got masking tape and I put “#NoMoreMMIW,” or no more Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. That photo went viral. I stood up for the people that don’t have a voice.

I received tons of flack because of that—countless messages of almost hate mail towards me. But again, for me, this platform that I am very fortunate to have isn’t just for me to showcase how great I think I am because it’s not about that in our culture. It’s about using what you have for the betterment of those surrounding you. And that’s really what I try to do—be a positive influence.

The very first time I performed at Tucson Meet Yourself I think it was almost by accident. I happened to be there walking around, and somebody said, “Why are you not playing here?” And they went and got whoever was in charge of the music and found me a spot, and I performed for about an hour or so. No contract, no payment or anything. I just played for love of the music because I wanted to play.

They said, “Next year we need to get you on a stage.” It was meant to be, because the next year I was performing on a main stage, and ever since I’ve continued to perform there.

I’ve served as an emcee to one of the stages. I also served as their music director one year. I saw all that they really do behind the scenes. It’s amazing. They’re a really well-oiled machine. I don’t know how they do it, how they all function together and make Tucson Meet Yourself happen year after year. I’ve never been to another festival like this.

It really does get better and better every year. You look back and you’re like, God, that was fantastic. There’s been times when there’s been drizzling and rain, I’m performing and there’s still hundreds of people out there watching my concert and I’m like, wow, that’s dedication.

Everybody involved in the festival does it for the love of the festival. They’re not out there for fame or fortune. You can see it in their faces as they walk by. Even the volunteers you see, everybody’s just so happy to be a part of this. It’s more than just a festival. It’s community coming together.

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Find Gabriel Ayala at the 2025 Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival (Oct 17-19), where he will share artwork in the Folk Arts area, perform with Tohono O’odham accordion player Gertie Lopez, and host All My Relations, a gathering of Indigenous performers including Roman Orona, Sampson Sinquah, Adrian Wall, and Keith Secola.