Marco Ronquillo on Bass, Berklee, and Bringing Latin Grooves to Pop

Marco Ronquillo’s bass story is unique. Born in El Salvador, he’s the first musician in his family and began playing in church at 13. By 18, he was already playing at the El Salvador Jazz Festival. Ronquillo began studying Chemical Engineering but received a full-tuition scholarship to Berklee College of Music. He moved to Boston in 2021 and has since become a staple of the city’s bustling music scene. He’s also the bassist and music director for Alfareros.

People around the world have found his talents via social media, where he creatively reimagines pop songs with a Latin flavor. We caught up with Ronquillo to get the scoop on his background, how bassists can incorporate Latin styles into their playing, and what he’s learned along the way.

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Since you don’t come from a musical family, how did you get your start in music?

Music was never really part of my life growing up. I didn’t even listen to much music at first. But my best friend, Douglas, already played guitar and sang, and one day he told me, “You should learn bass so we can start a band.”

I started learning bass on an acoustic guitar, and honestly, at the beginning, it all felt like a game. This was around 2008, and YouTube was already becoming huge. One day, another good friend, Edgar, showed me a video of Victor Wooten playing “Amazing Grace,” and that completely changed everything for me. I instantly fell in love with the instrument and realized how expressive and powerful the bass could be.

Not long after that, Douglas encouraged me to audition to play at his church. The funny thing is that I barely knew a few notes on the fretboard, and I had never even played a real bass before. Somehow, they still accepted me. Looking back now, maybe they were just being kind to a kid who was excited about music — or maybe they saw something in me before I could see it myself.

That experience changed my life completely.

Who were your early influences?

Coming from knowing absolutely nothing about bass or music, Victor Wooten was an incredible introduction to the instrument because he showed me what the bass was truly capable of.

After that, I discovered musicians like Marcus Miller, Abraham Laboriel, Jaco Pastorius, Francis Rocco Prestia, Richard Bona, and Esperanza Spalding, among many others.

I would spend countless hours learning their bass lines, but more importantly, trying to understand what made each of them sound unique. I wasn’t interested in copying people forever — I wanted to absorb ideas and eventually develop my own voice on the instrument.

At the same time, because I was playing in church, Latin American Christian music became a huge part of my musical development. That environment taught me groove, feel, musical sensitivity, and the importance of supporting the song.

For someone unfamiliar with Latin music, what are five songs bass players should check out?

• Caribe — Michel Camilo (Anthony Jackson’s bass playing on this track is incredible.)
• Todo Tiene Su Hora – Juan Luis Guerra
• Os Anjos Te Louvam – Eli Soares
• Sol, Arena y Mar – Luis Miguel
• Sirena – C4 Trio

And as a bonus, I think every bass player should explore Timba, which is a Cuban style that combines Afro-Cuban grooves with funk and jazz. Artists like Alain Pérez, TIMBALIVE, and Alexander Abreu are great examples of how rhythmically advanced and exciting that music can be.

How did you know you should leave your Chemical Engineering degree to pursue music?

In El Salvador, there are still very limited opportunities to study music professionally, although I hope that changes in the future. When it was time to choose a career, I picked Chemical Engineering because I genuinely loved chemistry, math, and science.

But ever since I discovered music and the bass, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Deep down, I always had the dream of studying music professionally. During the pandemic, I had what felt like a crazy idea at the time: applying to Berklee College of Music.

Coming from a middle-class family in El Salvador, I knew the only possible way I could study there was by receiving a full scholarship — and at that point, no Salvadoran had received a scholarship like that before. A lot of people told me I should aim for a different school or take a more realistic path.

But my faith was bigger than those doubts. I decided to audition anyway, and after the online audition process, Berklee offered me a full-tuition scholarship.

That moment completely changed my life. It gave me the confidence to fully commit to music and pursue this path professionally.

What was the most important aspect of your time at Berklee?

Berklee College of Music was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Music is happening everywhere — in classrooms, hallways, dorms, cafés — and you’re surrounded by musicians from all over the world bringing completely different musical backgrounds and perspectives.

That environment pushes you to grow very quickly, not just technically, but personally and creatively as well. You build relationships, learn how to adapt to different musical situations, and develop the ability to collaborate at a high level.

One of the greatest privileges during my time there was studying with legendary bass players and educators such as Gary Willis, Mike Pope, and Anthony Vitti. I also had the opportunity to take a few private lessons with John Patitucci, whose musicianship and artistry had a huge impact on me. Learning directly from musicians of that caliber was both inspiring and transformative because they challenged me to think more deeply about music, sound, touch, phrasing, and artistic identity.

Before Berklee, I thought becoming a better musician meant playing faster, playing harder music, or taking longer solos. But over time, I realized there will always be someone better than you at something. What truly matters is developing your own voice and identity as an artist.

One of the best compliments I receive now is when people tell me, “You sound like yourself no matter what style you’re playing or what bass you’re using.” After graduating, I feel more connected to my own musical identity than ever before, and that has been one of the most valuable lessons from my time there.

What is gigging in the Boston music scene like?

Boston is an incredibly diverse and demanding music scene. Because of institutions like Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, you’re constantly surrounded by high-level musicians from all over the world.

One week you might be playing Timba, jazz, Middle Eastern music, country, Colombian music, pop, rock, or worship music. That diversity forces you to become adaptable very quickly and teaches you how to communicate musically across many styles.

I’ve been fortunate to work with many incredible artists and projects in Boston, including serving as Music Director for Young Love and the Thrills and working with Houston Bernard. Those experiences have pushed me to grow not only as a bass player but also as a leader, arranger, and collaborator in professional live settings.

For me, Boston has felt like a sanctuary for learning. Every gig becomes an opportunity to grow, collaborate, and discover new musical perspectives. Being surrounded by so many unique musicians reinforced my desire to develop my own voice and approach on the instrument while still adapting to whatever the music requires.

How did you start and grow your online presence? Any tips?

My online presence started very naturally through live performances. I joined a wedding band where my good friend Francis P. had already been playing for some time. We had been performing together in different musical settings for years, and the chemistry between us was very natural.

During gigs, we would spontaneously create arrangements on the spot, blending American pop songs with Latin grooves and rhythmic concepts. The audience and the band always reacted strongly to those moments, so I started recording and posting short clips consistently online.

At first, the videos didn’t get many views, but I stayed consistent. After a few months, Francis posted a clip of us playing “Shut Up and Dance” with a Congo-inspired Afro-Dominican groove during the second verse, and people really connected with it. There was a bass fill in that arrangement that caught a lot of attention, and suddenly people started asking, “Who’s the bass player?”

I posted the same clip on my page, and that was one of the first moments when my online presence started growing significantly.

My biggest advice for musicians trying to grow online is to stay consistent and authentic. Don’t be afraid to be creative, experiment, and show your real personality through your playing. People connect with honesty much more than perfection.

How do you fit Latin grooves into American pop tunes? What is a tool that bass players can use?

What’s interesting is that Latin music is incredibly vast — there are thousands of rhythms and regional styles — so I’m constantly learning myself. But over time I developed an instinct for hearing where certain rhythmic ideas can naturally fit within a song.

A lot of American pop music already contains rhythmic phrasing that relates closely to clave-based concepts, even if people don’t immediately recognize it that way. For me, it’s never about forcing a Latin groove over a pop song. It’s about listening carefully to the melody, subdivision, accents, and overall feel of the track.

One of the biggest tools bass players can develop is learning how to listen deeply to the drums and percussion. They give you so much information about where the groove should sit, where accents should land, and how the bass can support the rhythm naturally.

When I started studying Timba music, I also realized how closely connected 16th-note funk vocabulary is to Afro-Cuban music. A lot of it comes down to articulation, phrasing, and understanding where to place the accents.

What gear do you use?

I currently play a Sadowsky MetroLine J/J Vintage bass with Elixir Strings and Rattlesnake Cable Company cables. For touring and travel, I also use gear from MONO. I’m incredibly honored to be trusted as an official artist by these companies.

For recording, I often use the Noble Bass Preamp DI, and for live performances I use the Line 6 HX Stomp. Depending on the gig, I’ll sometimes add pedals like the Origin Effects Cali76 Compressor or DCX Bass. I also enjoy using the MXR Bass Octave Deluxe and the MXR Bass Synth, which opens up a completely different world creatively.

At the same time, I’ve never been obsessed with expensive gear. I strongly believe most of your sound ultimately comes from your hands, touch, phrasing, and technique.

What advice do you have for up-and-coming bassists?

If I could give advice to the version of myself from 2008, I would simply say: “Keep going until it works.”

Being a musician is not an easy path. There’s a lot of self-doubt, uncertainty, rejection, and outside voices telling you that you’ll never make it. There will always be obstacles. But if you genuinely love music — if playing bass makes you feel alive and gives you purpose — then it’s worth continuing.

Not every opportunity will work out, and not every season will be easy, but the right opportunities eventually come through consistency, preparation, and persistence.

Most importantly, don’t lose yourself trying to sound like someone else. Learn from everybody, but spend time developing your own voice and identity. That’s what people truly connect with in the long run.

What has been one of the most meaningful professional experiences in your career so far?

One of the most meaningful professional experiences in my career so far has been working with Alfareros as both a bassist and Music Director. That experience has allowed me to grow not only musically, but also as a leader and collaborator in high-level professional environments.

Through that work, I’ve had the opportunity to perform at important venues, work on large-scale productions, and contribute to projects alongside internationally respected musicians such as Vinnie Colaiuta and Nathan East. As a bass player, those are musicians I grew up studying and admiring, so being able to share credits in that context was incredibly meaningful and, honestly, surreal at times.

What made the experience even more impactful was realizing the level of professionalism, preparation, and musical excellence required in those environments. It pushed me to grow far beyond just playing the instrument well. I had to think more about leadership, communication, musical direction, and how to bring value to the entire production.

At the same time, those opportunities reminded me how far music has taken me — from learning bass on an acoustic guitar in El Salvador to collaborating in productions connected to some of the musicians who inspired me growing up. That perspective continues to motivate me to keep growing and representing my country with excellence through music.