[free & outdoor] Jesús Díaz y su Habana Afro-Cuban Ensamble @ Yerba Buena Gardens // SF

Pre-show music begins at 12:30pm.

Born and raised in Havana and based in Oakland since the early 1980s, conga master Jesús Díaz is an international force whose music encompasses Cuba, the U.S. and West Africa.

When trumpet star Ambrose Akinmusire wanted to infuse his 2020 album on the tender spot of every calloused moment with Yoruba soul, he featured Díaz’s chanting. With his Habana Afro-Cuban Ensamble, Díaz showcases his original compositions and arrangements, drawing on the bottomless well of folkloric and popular Cuban music. The band combines Bay Area jazz heavyweights Jeff Cressman (trombone), Karl Perazzo (percussion) and Melecio Magdaluyo (saxophones) with Havana-born masters including powerhouse pianist and vocalist Ariacne Trujillo Duran, trumpeter Leider Chapotín, drummer Raul Pineda Roque, who has worked widely with pianist Chuchito Valdés, percussionist Roberto Junior Vizcaino and bassist Julio de la Cruz.

Opening set by Chulita Vinyl Club, an all-vinyl, all-genre DJ collective made up of women, gender-non-conforming, non-binary, LGBTQ+ and self-identifying people of color.

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