Results for "Afro-Cuban Jazz"

Tumbao Experience

The Tumbao Experience is a landmark collaboration that unites two musical worlds that have long admired each other—now brought together in one extraordinary project. For the first time, the performances of iconic American jazz legends—including Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, Carmen McRae, Jimmy Scott and Joséphine Baker—are reimagined through the rhythm-rich lens of classic Latin and Afro-Cuban traditions.

At the helm is Demetrio Muñiz, the renowned musical director and arranger behind the Buena Vista Social Club and Afro-Cuban All Stars. His visionary leadership brings together a powerhouse ensemble of master musicians, including: Moises Porro (Pablo Milanés, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis); Ariel Bringuez (Chucho Valdés, Alejandro Sanz, Marcus Miller); Yaure Muñiz (Afro-Cuban All Stars, Buena Vista Social Club) and many more.

Alexis Baro

Born: July 3

Cuban-Canadian trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Alexis Baró is an internationally recognized artist at the forefront of contemporary Afro-Cuban jazz. Combining virtuosic trumpet performance with sophisticated large-ensemble writing, Baró has built a global reputation for delivering high-impact concerts that bridge the energy of Latin music with the precision and depth of modern jazz.

Born and trained in Havana, Baró studied at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and the Instituto Superior de Arte. He began his professional career performing with leading Cuban ensembles, including the National Radio and Television Orchestra, and collaborating with internationally acclaimed artists such as Omara Portuondo. This foundation continues to inform his authentic approach to Afro-Cuban music and improvisation.

Zahili Gonzalez Zamora

Born: December 16, 1979

Zahili Gonzalez Zamora, a brilliant Cuban-born, Afro Cuban jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, bandleader, arranger and educator, is releasing a landmark new album on October 24, 2025.

Entitled Overcoming, the album explores her extensive inner journeys through the challenges of her very personal apprehensions that might have held her back from stardom—until now—and finally releasing this album—as a vision of her true self.  The five songs on Overcoming—composed by Zahili and arranged by Zahili and bassist Gerson Lazo—take on deep introspections. “Rumination,” “Blissful Sorrow,” “Despair,” “Duality Embrace,” and finally, “Negra” take listeners inside the heart-searching pieces of her very personal odyssey, creating a beautiful and beguiling landscape into the deepest metamorphosis of her inner soul.

Paul Vornhagen

Born: August 18, 1950

Paul performs on saxophones, flute, piccolo, clarinet and vocals with styles reminiscent of Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Mann, Hubert Laws and Chet Baker (vocals). Based in Ann Arbor, he has released numerous recordings as a bandleader for several labels including Schoolkids, BOPO, PKO, Inner Light and Global Pulse.  His Quartet performs throughout Michigan and northern Ohio on a monthly basis as well as touring in California and the Chicago area.  His latest Quartet recording was released on February 3, 2025 on Global Pulse Records entitled Paul Vornhagen-Live at the Blue LLama to NPR and Internet Programs.  

Mike Prigodich

Born: March 16, 1970

Hailed by critics as a composer whose work “may reshape how jazz fusion is approached in the 21st century,” Mike Prigodich is a jazz fusion pianist, composer, and bandleader whose music blends intricate architecture with emotional immediacy. Drawing inspiration from innovators like Chick Corea and Dave Grusin, Prigodich creates rhythmically daring compositions that fuse jazz with Latin grooves, rock energy, and global influences from his early years in East Africa and SE Asia.

He first gained attention with his 2011 debut album A Stitch in Time, featuring an all-star lineup including Damian Erskine, Reinhardt Melz, and John Nastos. Funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign following Prigodich’s life-altering cancer diagnosis in 2008, the project marked a powerful artistic turning point. Producer and keyboardist George Whitty called the album “one of those discs you want to hear again as soon as it’s finished.”

Yves Nadeau

YVES NADEAU - Guitarist/Composer

https://yvesnadeau.bandcamp.com/album/talbleaux

https://www.youtube.com/@YvesNadeauOfficial

Yves Nadeau got a bachelor’s degree in music interpretation from the Université of Montreal in 1991. He is on the professional music scene since 1986 alternately as astudio musician, arranger, composer, producer, and bandleader. He has worked on different projects with musicians like LARRY CORYELL, TERRY CLARKE, Alain Caron, Michel Donato, James Gelfand, Paul Brochu, Jean-Pierre Zanella, André Leroux, Frédéric Alarie, Muhammad Abdul Al-Khabyyr, and François Cousineau. Yves has also been appearing at JAZZ FESTIVALS allacross Canada, in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Montreal, Rimouski, Quebec City… either as leader of his own group or asaccompanist for artists such as Oliver Jones, Carol Welsman, Paolo Ramos, Rémi Bolduc… to name but a few. On the popular music scene, he has played with world renown French and Canadian stars Shania Twain, Patricia Kaas, Natasha St-Pier, Michel Rivard, Nanette Workman, Isabelle Boulay, and Bruno Pelletier. Yveshas participated in a great number of recordings (radio, television, andalbums), and has traveled to many countries on international tours (France,the Netherlands, Egypt, Israel, Senegal, Kenya, Haiti, and the US).

Jstop Latin Soul

Active since: 2018

Jstop Latin Soul formed in 2018 when trombonist Joel Stopka and bassist/guitarist Brian Mesko united to pursue their passion for Afro-Cuban music and jazz. The duo assembled a collective of the area's finest seasoned musicians, all of whom have performed with a "who's who" of jazz, blues, Latin, and R&B legends and recording artists.

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Vladimir Espinosa and David Sandoval, two dynamic Latin percussion technicians, lead the driving rhythm section alongside drummer DeWayne Peters and pianist 'Montuno Tom' Floyd. The late Ken Hitchcock, a renowned New York recording artist and saxophone virtuoso (1956–2022), contributed masterful tenor sax and flute performances, which are featured on the group’s first CD. Multi-instrumentalist Willis Greenstreet adds depth to the ensemble with his gritty guitar and sax solos. Recording artist and engineer, Bobby Read, from Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers fame, joined the band in 2022 and brought an exceptional new level of artistry to the group.

Joel Stopka

Born: October 3, 1969

Joel Stopka (Trombone) discovered his passion for Afro-Cuban music while studying at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Performing with local favorites, Orquesta Antonetti & Las Figuras Del Merengue, Joel was exposed to a many different styles of latin music & was very fortunate learn from such a talented group of musicians. 

   In 1991, Joel moved to Chicago & was prominent in the music scene writing, producing & performing with local groups & touring artist such as: Orquesta 809 (Isla), Orquesta Sabor, Los Mantas, DLG (Dark Latin Groove), Poi Dog Pondering, Frankie Ruiz, Lalo Rodriguez, Raphael de Jesus, Cheo Feliciano, Charlie Cruz, Huey Dunbar, Cano Estremera, Michael Stuart and Jimmy Bosch.

Alexandra Ivanova

Curiosity about the 'Other'

Born to Bulgarian parents in Austria, Alexandra Ivanova grew up curious to meet and understand the 'Other' - in herself, in society or in culture. In her compositions, Alexandra creates conversations between jazz, Oriental and Afro-Cuban music and odd polyrhythms. Her arrangements reflect her experience living on three continents and speaking six languages fluently. Alexandra Ivanova is an unconventional musician who invites the listener to look at the world from different points of view: from the East, the West or from somewhere in between.

Rafael Zaldivar

Born: October 29, 1982

When JUNO Nominee Rafael Zaldivar sits down at the piano, he brings a wealth of inspiration to the keys: his compositions display his percussion expertise, his many years of collaborating with top jazz musicians, and his cultural heritage. Born in Camagüey, Cuba, Zaldivar is carrying on a rich family legacy of musicianship. After taking up percussion and piano at a young age, Zaldivar pursued his studies at the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana. By 1998, Zaldivar meets the great Herbie Hancock and Kenny Barron in Havana. Once Zaldivar came to Canada at the age of 22, he completed a B.A