OCTOBER 11TH, 7pm

*UK exclusive*

The Art Of Cuban Piano is a solo concert presented by Havana native / New York based Yamaha pianist and composer Dayramir González, which showcases the dynamic range of Cuban styles from contemporary Afro-Cuban jazz to 19th Century Cuban classical and its connection with American jazz.

Dayramir González, one of the leading voices of Afro-Cuban jazz of his generation, started his professional career as a pianist and composer at the age of 16 with former Irakere member Oscar Valdés and his Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble Diákara. He received the highest awards at Havana's prestigious JoJazz festival in 2004 and 2005 and three Cubadisco awards for his 2007 debut album "Dayramir & Habana enTRANCé" before proceeding to Berklee College of Music as the first Cuban national Presidential Scholarship recipient. Since completing his education he has performed in stadiums with legends Chucho and Bebo Valdés and headlined Carnegie Hall as a representative of the young generation of Afro-Cuban jazz. In recent years, with multiple recorded albums in his portfolio, Dayramir has developed an international following in clubs, concert halls and festival appearances throughout the North and South America as well as Europe. Dayramir still performs annually in Cuba at the legendary Jazz Plaza Festival in Havana while staying close to his cultural and creative roots.

OCTOBER 11TH, 10pm

Eliane Correa & La Evolución is a fresh, high-energy 12-piece Cuban timba fusion orchestra consisting of some of the top Cuban and Latin musicians in the UK. Led by Latinx powerhouse pianist Eliane Correa who, asides from touring as a soloist for Hans Zimmer, has MD'd for the likes of Mayito Rivera (Los Van Van) and Maite Hontelé and written for Mixael Cabrera among others, the band is fronted by renowned Cuban vocalists Dunia Correa and Barcelona-based Yadira Ferrer. After headlining Glastonbury's Glasto Latino tent twice in 5 years and selling out 4 shows in a row at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, the orchestra released their debut album, Signo de Fuego (Somos Más, 2022), earning a 5-star review in Songlines and a Mark Award.

Eliane's Evolución orchestra project started out inspired by the modern Havana sound of large-format timba orchestras and soon found its own London-infused voice, featuring electric guitars and synths over powerful, distinctively Cuban grooves. La Evolución's entirely original repertoire, written and composed by Correa herself, consists of a powerful yet intricate weave that lets the listener dance to the groove without letting go of any of the compositional complexities of timba music – even nodding occasionally to nu soul music and modern jazz pianists such as Robert Glasper and Herbie Hancock. Correa's lyrics make a point of highlighting the female experience from a place of celebration, liberation and empowerment; changing the gender narrative in Latin music lyrics is an important part of her vision.

OCTOBER 10TH

*First time in the UK*

Flamenco vocalist Naike Ponce and pianist Mélodie Gimard are two of Spain's pioneers of Flamenco-jazz fusion. For the first time in the UK, their project Háblame consists of a union of their respective creative visions and sentiments around the art of Flamenco. Accompanied by award-winning percussionist Nasrine Rahmani and contrabassist Gal Maestro, the repertoire consists of a mix of original repertoire with revisited versions of classics by the likes of Paco de Lucía.

Naike Ponce's latest album, Vivir, produced by Flamenco legend Paquete, was nominated to a Latin Grammy Award in 2020. Hailing from a town in the province of Cádiz, Ponce has spent her entire life immersed in Flamenco culture, learning from iconic carriers of the culture such as La Sallago and Paco Taranto. She has collaborated with Tomatito, Diego el Cigala and Estrella Morente among others. Mélodie Gimard is a Franco-Spanish pianist and composer whose one-of-a-kind interpretation of the piano as a Flamenco instrument has earned her an array of awards.As a former dancer, Gimard translates the movements from flamenco dances into music. Her musical influences also span into classical music as well as Cuban jazz, and she performs regularly with Cuban jazz stars such as Carlitos Sarduy. Nasrine Rahmani is acknowledged as the foremost female percussionist of the flamenco world, and Gal Maestro, sister of renowned pianist Shai Maestro, has toured with the likes of Anoushka Shankar and Debashis Bhattacharjee.

OCTOBER 9TH

Babo Moreno is Brazilian British drummer Fabio De Oliveira's much-anticipated new project, launched earlier this year to critical acclaim. After spending over a decade as a session drummer for globally recognised artists such as Jacob Collier, Jamie Cullum and Sault, Babo Moreno spearheads a new generation of world-leading Brazilian jazz - think Hermeto Pascoal meets Tony Allen and Eddie Palmieri in a Notting Hill bar. His first single Rei Da Pesca was featured widely on various BBC programmes, Jazz FM and international radio stations. Dubbed by Jamie Cullum as “one of [his] tracks of the year... beautiful music that has seriously brought some sunshine into [my] life”, the sound of Babo Moreno is filled with the contradictions, intricacies and swag of second generation immigrant music; it's not about the hype of Brazilian music, it’s an expression of conflict, pride and connection to identity. The articulation of a youth spent in London, surrounded by musicians from all over the world. A deeply personal bid to push for other second generation musicians, from Brazil and beyond, to express themselves and be represented.