artist info

"Sosa enlivened the mix of jazz, blues, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms with electronics, and he played the inside of the piano with brushes and other objects. Tempos were fluid and the mood changed freely. In the end, the performance was doubly exhilarating: Sosa took full advantage of Latin jazz's fun and funky grooves while adding experimental touches to keep listeners on their toes." -Ed Hazell, The Boston Phoenix

Composer-pianist-bandleader Omar Sosa is one of the most versatile jazz artists on the scene today. His musical trajectory traces the Diaspora from Cuba to Africa and Brazil; from Central America to Ecuador’s African-descent communities; from San Francisco and New York to his current home base in Barcelona. True to his Afro-Cuban origins, Sosa fashions a spirited vision of uncompromising artistic generosity that embraces humanity at large. Nominated for six GRAMMY awards and twice for the BBC World Music Awards, Sosa entwines the expressive traditions of Africa and the Americas in a unique cosmopolitan voice, articulating a brilliant, joyous, and thoroughly contemporary global jazz idiom.

Omar Sosa fuses a wide range of jazz, world music, and electronic elements with his native Afro-Cuban roots to create a fresh and original urban sound – all with a Latin jazz heart. His career embodies the expansive outlook of a visionary artist who has taken Monk’s uncompromising spirit to heart, while working ceaselessly to craft and project a unique voice.

His latest release Ilé. offers contemporary interpretations of some of the classic Cuban musical styles the world has come to admire. Listeners will enjoy a mix of ballads and sophisticated mid and up-tempo arrangements. Also included is a set of four atmospheric interludes, featuring traditional music samples combined with improvised piano and soprano saxophone accompaniment. Overall, the compositional focus of the project is on ensemble playing. A noteworthy dimension is Omar’s use of the Fender Rhodes electric piano in equal measure with acoustic grand piano.

Mr. Sosa received a lifetime achievement award from the Smithsonian Associates in Washington, DC in 2003 for his contribution to the development of Latin jazz in the United States.