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In the Studio: ELIO VILLAFRANCA on "Letters to Mother Africa"

1,533 views · Published 13 October 2016 · 1:38 · Indexed 21 October 2026

Channel: Jazz at Lincoln Center · 2016 · Music

The letters that a young Elio Villafranca wrote to his absent father shaped the shows he'll perform Oct. 14-15 in the Appel Room. Watch the Cuban pianist discuss the inspiration behind his performance, "Letters to Mother Africa."

Elio Villafranca's Cinque – Music of the Caribbean was an absolute favorite amongst audiences in 2015. With Letters to Mother Africa, the visionary Cuban pianist and composer brings us another ambitious and culturally enlightening program. Leading an all-star band comprising saxophonists Billy Harper and David Murray, bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Lewis Nash, percussionist Abdou Mboup, and South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe, Villafranca will compose and examine a wide range of jazz written with great reverence to Africa. Exploring jazz's deep, unifying roots in Africa, Villafranca will incorporate musical traditions and instruments from across the continent into Western jazz contexts, demonstrating common traits as well as the deep diversity of African influences. In addition to original compositions, the group will perform unique arrangements of music by Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Max Roach, Eric Dolphy, Randy Weston, Charles Mingus, and Wayne Shorter.

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In the Studio: ELIO VILLAFRANCA on "Letters to Mother Africa"

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