Cuban piano virtuoso Omar Sosa and Senegalese kora (21-string harp lute) master Seckou Keita, whose collaborations brilliantly embrace jazz, Latin and African influences, return to New York revisiting their acclaimed SUBA album. SUBA is a hymn to hope, to a new dawn of compassion and change in a post-pandemic world, and a visceral reiteration of humanity’s prayer for peace and unity. The program weaves together themes of friendship and spiritual connection, travel and loss, hope and optimism, dancing and the sea, and, of course, a new sunrise (“Suba” means “sunrise” in Mandinka). The seven-time Grammy-nominated Sosa has explored African musical cultures and their connections with his Afro-Cuban roots throughout his long career; Keita has become one of the most influential and inspiring kora players of his generation. They are joined by the inimitable Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles, who encompasses the polyrhythmic sound of the African diaspora.
“Sosa is one of the truly illuminated minds of world jazz. He is shaping a new synthesis of Latin and American jazz.”—Billboard
“Seckou Keita can be classed alongside the great Toumani Diabaté as one of the adventurous masters of the kora.”—The Guardian
Co-presented by Robert Browning Associates