Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators Will Perform CROSSROADS FROM CUBA TO NEW YORK

Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators will take the stage at Aaron Davis Hall on Friday, April 26, for a magical musical journey “Crossroads from Cuba to New York.” The 7 p.m. concert, produced and presented by City College Center for the Arts (CCCA), will feature the return of two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and Steinway Artist Elio Villafranca and his group The Jass Syncopators in an exploration of the spiritual and musical connection of Cuba and New York and the diasporic Afro-Cuban musical forms intersecting with jazz that have sprung forth. The event will feature award-winning jazz vocalist Brianna Thomas, a New York City favorite who has performed across the world.

Growing up in Cuba, Villafranca saw how different religions are intertwined with the cultural fabric of Cuba. In many of these different religions, people see the crossroads as a place of great significance. It was the spiritual concept of the crossroads that touched Villafranca the most and inspired him to create this program, which draws from his second record in a musical trilogy that honors his ancestry and life as a jazz artist.

“Elio’s extraordinary musicianship along with his deep dive into his culture and the religious mosaic in Cuba created this brilliant masterpiece that we are proud to present” said CCCA Managing Director Gregory Shanck.

Villafranca, a New York-based jazz pianist, band leader and recording artist, has performed with jazz greats like Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Johnny Pacheco and Lewis Nash. Grammy Award-winning Cuban clarinetist and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera said of him that, “The musical history of Cuba is full of extraordinary pianists. Elio Villafranca is amongst the best representatives of the new generation of Cuban pianists and composers...” Villafranca is also a jazz faculty member at The Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Princeton University and Temple University.

Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators features Villafranca on piano, Vincent Herring on alto sax, Freddie Hendrix on trumpet, Mark Gross on tenor sax, Tom Guarna on guitar, Edward Perez on bass, Vince Ector on drums, Mauricio Herrera Tamayo on percussion and Brianna Thomas on vocals.

Tickets for the concert are $25 and available at www.citycollegecenterforthearts.org. Aaron Davis Hall is located on the campus of the City College of New York at 129 Convent Avenue, down from West 135th Street and Convent Avenue.

Crossroads from Cuba to New York is made possible with funding from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, The City University of New York and The City College of New York.

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