Elio Villafranca and the Jass Syncopators
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:30sec promotional reel
Pianist-composer Elio Villafranca is a visionary force in contemporary jazz. Cuban-born and classically trained, the Grammy-nominated, Guggenheim Fellow, and Steinway Artist returns to the Bride’s orbit with his powerhouse ensemble The Jass Syncopators. Rooted in deep tradition, bold arrangements, and immersive storytelling, Villafranca delivers a musical expedition across the African diaspora, powered by Afro-Caribbean rhythms and hard-swinging jazz—that will captivate both devoted fans and first-time listeners.
Hailed by DownBeat as “the latest in a decades-long line of Cuban musicians who have integrated African, European and Pan-American musical concepts,” Villafranca channels the grandeur of Duke Ellington and McCoy Tyner, crafting compositions that “narrate with references to the Haitian Revolution and the free Maroon colonies of runaway slaves.” His celebrated album Cinque, performed with The Jass Syncopators, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album, a 4.5-star DownBeat review, and recognition among Japan’s “50 Best Jazz Albums of 2018.”
From Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, from Haiti to his native Cuba, this top-tier supergroup of soloists and master percussionists takes audiences on a journey where deep tradition meets fearless innovation. Expanding Jelly Roll Morton’s Spanish Tinge into his own Caribbean Tinge, Villafranca creates music packed with passion, precision, and an irresistible groove.
Lineup: Elio Villafranca (piano/compositions), Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Sam Dillon (tenor sax), Gregg August (bass), Joel de Jesus (drums), Carlos Maldonado (percussion)
As Elio Villafranca translates freedom stories through Afro-Caribbean rhythms, deep tradition, and bold improvisation, Satellite Sound amplifies music as a living archive of resilience, resistance, and renewal.
