Latin Jazz Network

01/11/2025

Inspiring words. Thank you Danilo Perez

In 2025, I send healing vibrations for a global awakening of our collective consciousness, guided by the transformative power of sincere love, empathy, compassion, creativity, and the universal language of music. May this year be a time for our shared values to guide us in recognizing the fragility of life, inspiring us to build bridges that unite us as one global family. Together, let us transform adversity into opportunity, challenges into pathways for growth, and use our gifts to uplift and inspire one another. I wish for humanity to find the strength to resist the pull of pessimism and resignation, even amidst the wars and injustices we face. Instead, let us rise with hope, purpose, and resilience. Happy New Year—filled with love, music, and deep respect for all of humanity!
Danilo Pérez
Fundación Danilo PérezPanama Jazz FestivalBerklee Global Jazz Institute

01/11/2025

Jazz en Dominicana 2024 Interview Series: Ivanna Cuesta / by Fernando Rodríguez de Mondesert https://latinjazznet.com/IvnCst

A while back, Javier “Javielo” Vargas and I were talking about the status of many students from the National Conservatory of Music who were about to leave for Berklee College of Music to attend various summer and full-time programs. Helen de la Rosa (drummer) had just won the presidential scholarship to the renowned institution, and Javielo told me that another one was coming after her, who would also give a lot to talk about: Ivanna Cuesta.

Ivanna Cuesta González is a Dominican-Colombian drummer, educator, and composer. She graduated from the Conservatory of Music of the Dominican Republic in 2015 and from Berklee College of Music in 2020, where she studied with some of the most renowned musicians such as Neal Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Francisco Mela, and Tia Fuller, among others. Ivanna has performed at numerous major events around the world, such as the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, Monterrey Jazz Festival 2020, Panama Jazz Festival, Premios Soberano República Dominicana, Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival 2022-2023, at the Kennedy Center, Monheim Triennial Festival 2022, Santo Domingo Jazz Festival 2014-2015, The Hamptons Jazz Festival, among others.

Read Full Interview at: https://latinjazznet.com/IvnCst

01/10/2025

Ray Obiedo - Having followed Ray Obiedo’s groups for four decades, I was delighted to see that his Latin Jazz Project was playing for two nights at The Sound Room in Oakland.

01/09/2025

Introducing Cuban Pianist Laura Beatriz Argudin and her Band: BEATRIZ https://latinjazznet.com/lba&B

Laura Beatriz Argudin Tella was born in Havana, Cuba, daughter of the legendary Cuban pianist Rodolfo Argudin Justiz Peruchín, who has always been her biggest inspiration. Laura started her musical journey at 4 years old with the help of her grandmother Xiomara Justiz (daughter of the famous pianist from the 40s Pedro Justiz “Peruchín”). At 8, she started studying at the Manuel Saumell Music Conservatory and after that at the Guillermo Tomas Conservatory and at 12, she won first prize for the best interpretation of Cuban Music at the Amadeo Roldan National Piano Competition. Laura is now a piano teacher, composer and producer and founder of the band BEATRIZ, named after her mother. The young founder and bandleader aims to share and further develop her musical tradition in the Netherlands. BEATRIZ, a unique and refreshing Cuban jazz experience recently released a new EP entitled Momentos.

Straddling the cultural divide between her Cuban homeland and the bustling artistic energy of life in Rotterdam, Beatriz has cultivated artistic collaborations that have become the passport for her inventive musical personality. One look at her band (percussionist, Steven Brezet, drummer Daan Arets, bassist Patricia Mancheño, trombonist Pablo Martínez, and saxophonist Sylvester “Sly5thAve” Uzoma Onyejiaka II, and special guests flutist Camila Argudin, Gerardo Rosales on güiro, synth and keyboardist Emiel van Rijthoven and Leonid Muños on batá) and you’ll find a “United Nations” of inquisitive musical talents collected from The Netherlands, Spain, Venezuela, Cuba and the US.

Read Full Post at: https://latinjazznet.com/lba&B

01/09/2025

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita SUBA Trio at Flato Markham Theatre
https://latinjazznet.com/SUBAtrio

Ontario, Canada Premiere! Embark on a musical odyssey with the captivating rhythms of SUBA Trio.

WHEN: SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2025 AT 8:00 PM
WHERE: FLATO MARKHAM THEATRE
ADDRESS: 171 TOWN CENTRE BLVD, MARKHAM ON
TICKETS: PRIME: $15 TO $88 – REGULAR: $15 TO $78

Blending the rich traditions of Afro-Cuban and West African music SUBA Trio marks the second collaboration between Omar Sosa, a seven-time GRAMMY-nominated Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader, and Seckou Keita, kora master and singer from Senegal. Joined by Gustavo Ovalles, a folkloric percussionist from Venezuela, this extraordinary ensemble creates a mesmerizing fusion that transcends borders. Prepare to be spellbound by an evening of world-class musicianship and cultural exchange.

01/04/2025

Duduka Da Fonseca Trio To Release New Album
https://latinjazznet.com/DDFTrf

Sunnyside Records has just announced the release of Rio Fantasia, the new album by Duduka Da Fonseca and his Brazilian based trio, featuring pianist David Feldman and bassist Guto Wirtti. This will be the trio’s fifth recording to date. To be released on February 14, 2025.

The magic of Brazil and its music have captured generations of music lovers. The joyous beats of samba and the mysterious sensuality of bossa nova have grabbed listeners like few other genres can. Duduka Da Fonseca conjures the spells of Brazilian music whenever he is behind his drum kit. But there is a special feeling that comes to Da Fonseca when he returns home to Rio de Janeiro, an unscripted and unpredictable joy that comes through in performing music. That alchemy is captured on Da Fonseca’s new recording, Rio Fantasia.

Having arrived in New York City in 1975, Da Fonseca has powered the rhythm section of many jazz legends. He has also been integral in the presentation of music by Brazilian legends, like Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Claudio Roditi and Dom Salvador among others.

Duduka Da Fonseca’s Rio Fantasia provides ample evidence of spirit that is realized in the performance of Brazilian music by experts. The genres become nearly irrelevant when music is played with imagination, dedication, and joy, qualities overwhelmingly present in the best of Brazilian musicians.

Read Full Post at: https://latinjazznet.com/DDFTrf

01/04/2025

BEST OF 2024 / NEW YORK REPORT
Music Journalist Tomas Peña Presents: 2024 Recordings On And Off The Beaten Path https://latinjazznet.com/NYR24best

1. OMAR SOSA’S 88 WELL-TUNED DRUMS (Ota 1035)
2. DAVE SCHUMACHER AND CUBEYE – SMOKE IN THE SKY (Cellar Live)
3. PETE RODRÍGUEZ – I’M PETE RODRIGUEZ (Sunnyside Records)
4. MELVIS SANTA JAZZ ORISHAS (Independent)
5. ROY HARGROVE’S CRISOL – GRAND TERRE (Verve Records)
6. JONATHAN POWELL – MAMBO JAZZ PARTY (Circle 9)
7. TROMBONEANDO CON DEMETRIO MUNÍZ (Egrem)
8. JOAJU CUARTETO – AVY’A JAVE (Polka Blue)
9. LINDA SIKAKHANE – ILADI (Blue Note Records)
10. ALTIN SENCALAR – Discover the Present (Posi-Tone Records)
11. 85 AÑOS DE ORQUESTA ARAGON (Egrem)
12. DARRYL YOKLEY’S SOUND REFORMATION – Un Mundo En Soledad (Truth Revolution Recording Collective)
13. DIEGO RIVERA – Ofrenda (Posi-Tone Records)
14. FABIOLA MÉNDEZ – Flora Campesina (Fabiola Méndez)
15. FERNANDO HUERGO BIG BAND – Relentless (Whaling City Sound)
16. HAVANA NEGRA – Self-Titled (Zanja Records)
17. KIKI VALERA – Vacilon Santiaguero (Circle 9)
18. MICHAEL PALLAS – Gateway (Truth Revolution Recording Collective)
19. PAPO VÁZQUEZ MIGHTY PIRATES TROUBADOURS – Songs Del Yukayeke (Picaro Records)
20. STEVE DAVIS – We See (Smoke Sessions Records)
21. THE SARAHBANDA & SARAH WILLIS – Sarahbanda (Presto Music)
22. WILLIAM CEPEDA AFRO PUERTO RICAN BIG BAND – The Sound of Puerto Rican Jazz (Casabe Records)
23. ZACCAI CURTIS – Cubop Lives! (Truth Revolution Recording Collective)

Read Full Article at: https://latinjazznet.com/NYR24best

01/02/2025

John Santos Releases New Album: “Horizontes” https://latinjazznet.com/JSrnaH

Seven-time Grammy-nominated percussionist, US Artists Fontanals Fellow, and 2013-2014 SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, John Santos, is one of the foremost exponents of Afro-Latin music in the world today. He’s currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of his own, independent record production label, Machete Records. Today, the first day of 2025, Santos has released his latest album, Horizontes, which is available for sale only on his website: https://johnsantosofficial.com/music

Show your support for independent artists buying their music directly from them. Get your copy of Horizontes today. This is a highly recommended album. It's already on my list of Best Albums of the Year 2025.

About this new project, Mr Santos says: “Horizontes is our newest production scheduled for a January 1st release. It features 20 of the world’s finest musicians and vocalists and is dedicated to the children of the world. 8 original compositions and arrangements rerpresenting a wide variety of styles and rhtyhms from the Afro-Latin diaspora. As we continue to celebrate 40 years of record production with Machete Records, Horizontes (Horizons) is our musical reaffirmation in the power of love to transform our hearts and minds. This simple yet radical notion informs our quest for peace, justice, health and joy for every family and community. With this humble musical offering, we align with the movements to transform the violence of bigotry, slavery, colonialism, berzerk capitalism and war into the as of yet unrealized unity and brotherhood of the human race.”

PLEASE SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC!
In these times of extreme dishonesty and irresponsibility on the part of our so-called leaders, it is of particular importance to support and promote the arts that give peaceful, profound voice to sanity, freedom, justice, and brotherhood. May the truth be told. – John Santos

THE JOHN SANTOS SEXTET & FRIENDS CD RELEASE CONCERT CELEBRATING MACHETE RECORDS’ 40th ANNIVERSARY / SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1st, 2025 AT THE FREIGHT & SALVAGE IN BERKELEY, CA

Read Full Post at: https://latinjazznet.com/JSrnaH

12/31/2024

Eliane Elias: Time and Again
https://latinjazznet.com/EEtaa

It is really no wonder that Eliane Elias has come to literally personify those ineffable Brasilian expressions of both saudade and alegria. Her sensuous music is imbued with both – some would only say – opposite emotions. While the latter expression translates easily as “joy,” the former [expression], loaded with meaning, has no equivalent expression in any language [although the word “longing” is often used]. However, the feeling is so elusive as to come alive with meaning in minor modes in Brasilian music evocative of romantic love [or loss].

I suppose the word saudade is only translatable in music loaded with emotion and meaning – and that is what sets Ms Elias apart as musicians – such as Tom Jobim, João Gilberto, or – as vocalists go – like Rosa Passos and other vocalists who embody the quintessential nature of Brasilliance. Ms Elias is that kind of musician – an excellent composer who – because of her Brasilian origins – is eminently well-versed in the idiom of Brasil and also as a composer and pianist – because she is fluent in the idiom of jazz – occupies a special place in that tribe.

This Grammy-nominated album – Time and Again – does not simply continue from where her other studio albums left off, but it leaps into an altogether new, celestial place. As ever, the idiom is Brasilian, which is to say that it’s arc – musically speaking – sweeps across the cultural topography of that country. On the surface, it appears to be replete with the sound of Bossa Nova, but it is so much more, with an ocean of Brasilian sound swirling in its melodies, harmonies rhythms, and most of all, in its emotional sensibilities.

Read Full Review at: https://latinjazznet.com/EEtaa

12/31/2024

Michel Camilo & Tomatito: Spain Forever Again
https://latinjazznet.com/MC&TSfa

This grand association between the Dominican pianist Michel Camilo and the Spanish flamenco maestro Tomatito has now been documented by the third recording Spain Forever Again. This Grammy-nominated album follows Spain Again [Universal Music, 2006], and Spain Forever [Universal Music, 2016]. Each classic recording served to cement the relationship between the two master musicians from either side of the world, united not just by music but by Spanish music.

This imaginative programme on Spain Forever Again could be seen to become weightier as it advances to the dénouement with Aranjuez, a reading of Concierto de Aranjuez, a concerto for classical guitar by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. The piece by Rodrigo was written in 1939, and is by far, Rodrigo’s best-known work, establishing his reputation as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the 20th century. It is also one off the best-known Spanish pieces drawing many – like Mr Camilo and Tomatito, who made his name accompanying legendary flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla.

That famous piece – and the rest of the repertoire – also establishes the identity of this duo as one of great insight, intimate association and – as a result – capable of such wondrous music as they have shown in the almost-two decades that have separated their first recording from this one. There is an instant rapport from the classic song Alfonsina y el mar. Theirs is one of the finest interpretations of this song and establishes the quiet but crackling fire of this performance.

With each successive song on this album [leading up to Aranjuez], both Mr Camilo and Tomatito give an impression of greater intricacy, without losing any of the obvious melodic beauty of each chart they play. This is obvious from the very outset. From Mambo Influenciado by Chucho Valdés to the gorgeous ballad Antonia, and Remembrance – to Nardis, made famous by Miles Davis and La Leyenda del Tiempo, which ripples between the two musicians.

Read Full Review at: https://latinjazznet.com/MC&TSfa

12/29/2024

Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet: Cuba And Beyond
https://latinjazznet.com/ChVRQcab

Once the wunderkind of Afro-Cuban jazz [that was magnificently espoused via his most iconic group, Irakere] Dionisio Jesús Valdés Rodríguez, better known as Chucho Valdés, is now, unbelievably, in his early 80s. No longer beholden to any particular idiom, he has embraced a musicianship that is part Cuban, part Thelonious Monk-inspired jazz, all of which is most certainly 100% irrepressibly Chucho Valdés. This Grammy-nominated album with his Royal Quartet – Cuba And Beyond – is everything Mr Valdés wishes to be today.

True, he reigns supreme atop the proverbial mountain of pianism. His cascades of descending arpeggios and ascending rushes – accompanied by the most expressive sustained pedalling – of elliptical melodic inventions, sly melodic glissandi à la Don Pullen are often preceded by whisper-soft runs up and down the keyboard [as in his classic son piece entitled Son de Almendra]. However, not simply in that classic interpretation of Cuban son and danzón, even playing Chick Corea’s famous piece dedicated to his father – Armando’s Rhumba – as a true Afro-Cuban rumba.

Every piece here is played by Mr Valdés with a kind of languid ease, each melodic variation following the other, quite inexorably, his sumptuous piano sound brilliantly caught in this extraordinary studio album. There’s an unhurried quality to his approach, a lived-in character to his phrase-making. This is engaging in a truly unusual kind of way: It slyly evokes the fire and brimstone of youth and creates a molten mix with the well-honed values of experience.

This is an album eminently worthy of its selection as a Grammy Award nominee. And make no mistake: despite the plethora of prodigiously-gifted pianists who have come after him, Mr Valdés – his eternal genius shining through – still has a lot to offer to the world of music.

Read Full Review at: https://latinjazznet.com/ChVRQcab

12/28/2024

The Latin Side of Jazz Episode 43
https://latinjazznet.com/tlsoj-ep-43

The Latin Side of Jazz is a curated playlist that showcases selected tracks from the best Jazz, Latin jazz, Cuban, Brasilian, Flamenco, Ibero-American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latin jazz music. We include well-known, established artists and new artists who are getting attention and global recognition.

Episode 43 features thirteen terrific tracks from new albums released by some of the best artists creating great music during these times of rapid change; artists who are breaking barriers and who are expanding the musical scope and diversity within the jazz genre.

Track 1: Priorities – Roy Hargrove’s Crisol – From the album Grande-Terre (2024)
Track 2: El Sinsonte – Los Muñequitos de Matanzas – From the album 70 Años con el Poder de la Rumba (2023)
Track 3: Mambo “Chucho” Influenciado – Rachel Thérrien Latin Jazz Project feat. OKAN – Single Track (2024)
Track 4: Giovanniology – Giovanni Hidalgo – From the album Jubilation (2024)
Track 5: Temptation – Dafnis Prieto Sí o Sí Quartet – From the album 3 Sides of the Coin (2024)
Track 6: Jazz Pa’l Mambo – Oscar Hernández & Alma Libre – The New York Band – From the album No Words Needed (2024)
Track 7: Time Problems – Beatriz – From the EP Momentos (2024)
Track 8: Esqueleto – Diego Rivera – From the album Ofrenda (2024)
Track 9: Con Personas (With the People) – Carlos Mena – From the album Con Personas (With the People) (2024)
Track 10: 19 y 42 – Marina Albero – From the album A Nomad of Sound (2024)
Track 11: Swing Forever – Spanish Harlem Orchestra – From the album Swing Forever (2024)
Track 12: Bebo – Daniel Pardo – From the album Ese Momento (2024)
Track 13: Frigatebird – Ittetsu Nasuda – From the album Tailwind (2024)

Follow us on Spotify at Toronto Cultural Media
https://open.spotify.com/user/s6i4hu4ppjbztz99uu524hczz?si=4ea639d318244030

12/14/2024

An Open Letter to My Supporters and Fans

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that I must share some personal news. After recent consultations with my doctors, I have been advised to temporarily suspend all travel and live performances to prioritize my health.

This was not an easy decision to make, as performing and connecting with you has always been one of the greatest joys of my life. However, I understand the importance of following my doctors' advice to ensure that I can fully recover and return to doing what I love most—creating and sharing music with all of you.

I want to assure you that I will do my best to try to make this a temporary setback, and I am focusing on doing everything necessary to heal and come back stronger than ever. Your unwavering support and patience during this time mean the world to me and my family as we navigate this challenge together.

To everyone who has shared their love, kindness, and encouragement over the years, I am deeply grateful. I ask for your understanding as I take this step to take care of myself. I look forward to the day I can stand on stage again, ready to share unforgettable moments with you all.

Thank you for standing by me. I’ll keep you updated, and until then, take care of yourselves and each other.

With love and gratitude,
EP

12/05/2024

Estrella Acosta & Esquina 25 Celebrate 20 Years of Music Together! https://latinjazznet.com/EA&e25

In 2025, Amsterdam-based band Estrella Acosta & Esquina 25 celebrate their 20 years of playing together! They will be touring to commemorate this anniversary and would love to make you part of their festivities.

ESTRELLA ACOSTA & ESQUINA 25
Marc Bischoff (piano)
Efraim Trujillo (saxes/flute)
Samuel Ruiz (double bass)
Enrique Firpi (drums)
Estrella Acosta (vocals)

Latin GRAMMY® 2023 nominee Estrella Acosta is an acclaimed vocalist known for her captivating performances and deep connection to her Cuban roots. In Esquina 25, Acosta has assembled a group of international musicians based in The Netherlands who artfully combine Afro-Cuban music and Latin jazz with modern arrangements and playful creativity.

Drawing inspiration from the rich musical heritage of her motherland, and especially the works of its female composers, they play a program featuring music from their nominated album ‘Tierra’, with songs deeply rooted in the music of the Cuban countryside, known as ‘música guajira’, including her own compositions. Thanks to the creative collaboration of all musicians and arrangers, the band has crafted a repertoire with a distinctive character, in which elements like improvisation and jazz harmonies meet Cuban tradition.

Performances at festivals like North Sea Jazz, World Music Chicago and Canada’s Sunfest have brought them international acclaim. Their music is described as “a happy transatlantic party that takes off and soars”.

Check Estrella Acosta & Esquina 25 EPK at:
https://latinjazznet.com/EA&e25

12/04/2024

OKAN: Okantomi / https://latinjazznet.com/OKokt

Vibrant, earthy rhythm, often evocative of the comparsa, not to mention beauty of tone, a sense of yearning, and an uncommon sensuousness pervade all the music on the album Okantomi, by the quite brilliant Afro-Cuban duo, OKAN. That this also is just the third album by this pairing of percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne and the brilliant violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodríguez is occasion to celebrate the rise of a brand new voice on the musical horizon.

The opening of the recording invokes, de rigueur, the blessings of Eleggua… and everything flows, gushes, and thunders on with a marvellous intensity after that. There is a pliant, classic grace and eloquence to the virtuosity of violinist, Ms Rodríguez’s playing. Meanwhile Ms Savigne, tapping deeply into the traditional Afro-Cuban roots of this music roams the cultural topography with the elegant rumble of the conga, bàtá and other percussion instruments that she too plays with intense colour and uncommon virtuosity.

Both women defy the conventional wisdom which does not afford too much opportunity to women playing the spiritual-temporal realm of an otherwise particularly patriarchal Afro-Cuban musical culture. This duo has been given an enormous boost by the presence of the masterful bassist Roberto Riverón Tamayo, drummer Frank Martínez and two outstanding pianists: Miguel de Armas and the quite ingenious co-producer Jeremy Ledbetter.

Read Full Review at: https://latinjazznet.com/OKokt

11/29/2024

Jazz en Dominicana 2023 Interview Series: Junior Santos - By Fernando Rodríguez de Mondesert https://latinjazznet.com/JSjed

In mid-2020, Junior Santos, a Dominican percussionist living in Canada, contacted me to inform me that he would soon be presenting his album ConPambiche, which fuses jazz with pambiche (a folkloric rhythm from the Dominican Republic). The album consists of 11 songs, of which nine are his own.

That meeting resulted in a friendship that allowed us to talk about the love that we both have for our country and for jazz. A year later, we contacted each other again and shared news that filled us with joy and pride: ConPambiche had been nominated in the category Jazz Album of the Year: Solo for the JUNO awards in Canada (similar to the Grammys in that country).

At the end of 2022 I told him of my interest in interviewing him, with the intention of making his work more known to our readers, in our country and around the world. This publication is the result.

Read the full interview at: https://latinjazznet.com/JSjed

Photos of Junior Santos by Danilo Navas - Taken on September 20 at the Fourth Stage, National Arts Centre, during the Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference 2024, an event organized by Jazz pianist, composer Miguel de Armas and Latin Hub Canada.

11/29/2024

Harold López-Nussa and Hilario Durán Latin Jazz Big Band at Koerner Hall in Toronto [ https://latinjazznet.com/HDhln ]

A mid-winter Latin excursion featuring Cuban artists Harold López-Nussa with harmonica player Grégoire Maret and celebrated pianist and composer Hilario Durán with his 19-piece ensemble.

WHEN: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2025 AT 8:00 PM
WHERE: KOERNER HALL – TELUS CENTRE
ADDRESS: 273 BLOOR ST WEST – TORONTO
COST: STARTING AT $60 – BUY TICKETS AT WWW.RCMUSIC.COM/CONCERTS

Get a 20% discount on tickets to this concert until November 29!
Purchase today by calling 416.408.0208 or visiting: bit.ly/RCMBlackFridaySale

Cuban pianist and composer Harold López-Nussa performs music from his new album, Timba a la Americana, with Grammy Award-winning harmonica master Grégoire Maret, Latin jazz bass great Luques Curtis, and drummer Ruy Adrian López-Nussa. Produced by Snarky Puppy bandleader Michael League, Timba a la Americana unveils a vibrant new sound across 10 dynamic original compositions performed by López-Nussa’s tight-knit band.

Celebrated Cuban-Canadian composer and piano master Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band perform music from their 2024 Juno Award-winning and Grammy nominated album, Cry Me a River. Durán’s artistry and depth of knowledge of musical genres can be heard clearly in these songs, along with his gift for bending tradition and infusing arrangements with unfettered improvisation.