On Friday, March 31, 2017, I saw the show called from Cuba to Senegal: Letter to Mother Africa part two by Elio Villafranca at the Aaron Davis Hall of City College. Prior to the show I did some research on Villafranca and found out he was born in Cuba. He was inspired by the Congolese percussion of Tambor Yuka- large drums in Afro Cuban music played in the streets. Villafranca started out playing guitar which led him to percussion and the piano. Although Villafranca is considered a jazz musician, he trained primarily in classical music at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba. Elio Villafranca is a pianist, composer, and band leader. He received a Grammy nomination in 2010 for best Latin jazz album and nominated as pianist of…show more content… The performers for the show was of course stars Elio Villafranca on piano and percussion. Also, Abdou Mboup on drums and various percussion type instruments. I figure this was where the theme from Cuba to Senegal come from because the two artist were raised in those countries. The ensemble that followed was Miguelio Valdes (percussion), Venissa Santi (vocals), Vincent Dwayne Herring (alto and tenor Saxophone), Bruce Harris (trumpet), Steve Turre (trombone and other instruments), Richardo Rodriguez (base violin), and Dion Parson (drums). Each one of these musician were skilled at wielding their instrument and all the solos kept the audience in awe. I could not tell if these pieces were improvised, but each individual performance was enjoyable. I was also surprised that a couple of selections Villafranca wrote, were pieces that incorporated a clarinet player in modern jazz music. Also, he had a Cello and two Violin players, which I thought were instruments mainly connected to classical music. However, the sound of all the instruments complimented each…show more content… Villafranca mixed Latin with African styles beautifully for the next couple of songs. As the audience disembarked in Cuba, the band paid homage to Villafranca’s Cuban roots, and played Guajira Con Tumbao, Comprension, and Flores Para Tu Altar. These songs had an Afro Cuban jazz sound with the final song sounding more like Salsa music. Energy course through my body and many of the audience as can be seen by the audience swaying back and forth in their chairs. It was this trance created by the music that compelled us to dance. Dancers from City College jumped on stage and complimented the music with their Salsa steps. The next destination after Cuba was Africa. During this portion of the show, the songs Zimbabwe and Nomad Land captivated the audience. Abdou Mboup took the main stage accompanied by Villafranca playing maracas, Miguelio Valdes playing the bongos, and Steve Turre playing a seashell type of flute. However, all eyes were on Mboup playing two instruments at the same time – a maraca type instrument attached to his feet, and a West African string instrument called a Kora. I felt like I was at a jam session in West Africa and treated to what a festival or ceremony would sound like. This section of the show was a cultural highlight for
