Bassist Robert Trujillo, having been part of the lineup since 2003 and having actively collaborated on their latest studio album, “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” (2016).
His previous work with Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society, earned him to be considered the replacement for Jason Newsted, calling the attention of the band from the beginning for playing the bass without a pick, just like the remembered Cliff Burton did. . This particular style is due in large part to his Mexican descent, since as a child he learned to play styles as dissimilar as jazz and flamenco, the acoustic guitar being his first contact with music.
Anyone who has seen or heard Robert Trujillo play knows that the Metallica bassist can rock any room with his ferocious plucking. What few know is that the Los Angeles native of a Mexican mother plays the bass without a guitar pick because that’s how he learned to play flamenco as a child.
Aside from his main musical influences, jazz bassist Jaco Pastorious and Black Sabbath songwriter and bassist Geezer Butler, Trujillo has also drawn inspiration from legendary Hispanic musicians like Santana and lesser-known Latin artists and groups like Puerto Rican percussionist Willie Bobo. , Bad and The Chicano.
See him play flamenco and how good he is on acoustic guitar in the video below: