Max Esquivel was born in San José, Costa Rica, in 1986. His mother, a watercolorist and flamenco dancer, often took him to her rehearsals when he was a child; it wasn’t unusual to see him among the rafters of theaters and recital halls alongside his younger siblings. During his teenage years, his father—an industrial engineer with a penchant for headier prog rock—introduced him to bands like Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Rush. These two very different influences began to shape Max’s artistic development.

At the age of 13, Max received his first bass along with a warning: “I don’t want to see this bass put away in six months,” his father told him. More than twenty years later, Max has not only found a unique voice on the instrument but continues to seek new ways of expression. His first music lessons offered him a broader perspective on the possibilities of the bass and prepared him for his path to the United States, where he lived in Los Angeles and Miami before spending five years in New York City starting in 2010. He enrolled in and graduated from the Jazz Performance program at The New School, where he had to audition twice to secure the scholarship that allowed him to attend.

During his time in New York, Max collaborated with artists from diverse genres, including Reggie Workman, Arturo Sandoval, Linda Briceño, and Maurice Brown. Max considers the experience of living and performing with great musicians to be his “second school,” one that allowed him to improve and refine his craft rapidly.

He released his first project as a leader in 2012, titled Max Esquivel Quintet, which won the ACAM Award for Best Jazz Album of 2012–2013. Drawing from traditions as diverse as Afro-Latin music, progressive rock, and jazz, his music can be described as energetic, profound, and genuine.

His most recent original production, Formas, celebrates musical diversity and multicultural collaboration. It has been very well received by critics and has earned two awards  at the ACAM Awards (Costa Rica) and the Estela Awards (Central America). The production also features renowned international guests such as Antonio Sánchez, Diego Urcola, Claudia Acuña, Carlomagno Araya, Fareed Haque, and Chad Lefkowitz-Brown.