Elio Villafranca to Play Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola This Spring

Cinqué - Suite of the Caribbean debuted in The Appel Room in 2015 and was one of the top concerts of the 2014-15 season. Cuban pianist and composer Elio Villafranca now brings this incredible project to Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola on April 16 and 17, 2016.

Villafranca is known for ambitious projects that fuses the jazz idiom with extensive knowledge of percussion and Latin rhythms. This suite is one of his greatest accomplishments.

Focusing on the influences of Congolese traditions of rhythms, melodies, and dances through the music of Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba, Villafranca showcases the unifying elements of the islands, which share similar cultures despite their diverse histories.

This five-movement work is inspired by the life of Joseph Cinqué, a slave born in Sierra Leone who, revolted aboard the Amistad slave ship and gained his freedom.

If you missed this special concert in The Appel Room or wish to hear it performed by yet another outstanding group of musicians, join us at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola for a powerful night of music.

The ensemble includes pianist Elio Villafranca, alto saxophonist/flute Vincent Herring, tenor saxophonist Greg Tardy, bass clarinetist Todd Marcus, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, trombonist James Burton, acoustic bassist Gregg August, drummer Jaimeo Brown, percussionists Arturo Stable and Jonathan Troncoso, and dancer Liethis Hechavaria.

Photo Credit: Scott Sternbach