Join us for the premiere of a short music film featuring a newly commissioned song by Virginia Lopez (voice and conga drums) and Ivan Alamo (voice, guitar, and trés), a traditional Afro Cuban song performed in a quartet with Mieke Bruggeman (bari saxophone and flute) and Chris Nakato (bass), and a conversation with Lopez, Alamo, and Bruggeman about the many surprising connections between Afro Cuban music and jazz.

Tickets: $10 General Admission, $5 for those 65 or older and 35 or younger, free for PJCE Sustainers.

The project arose from a story of musical and cross-cultural discovery. A few years ago, Lopez and Bruggeman were talking about John Coltrane, and Lopez began to sing one of the melodies from Coltrane’s iconic 1965 album A Love Supreme with traditional Lucumí lyrics. Bruggeman was amazed to hear that this music she had thought was modern had ancient root roots. The two had a similar experience with another Coltrane recording, Afro Blue, which was actually composed by Mongo Santamaria, a Cuban American percussionist and singer who adapted the melody from a traditional song in 1959.

The film premiere includes the composers’ performance of the music with Bruggeman on saxophone and flute and bassist Chris Nakato, socially-distanced in Lopez’s backyard. The story of the project, along with a healthy dose of information on Afro Cuban music, how salsa music is different from Afro Cuban traditional music, and how the pandemic has affected each of these musicians personally and professionally is intertwined. The artists will be joining the audience for a livestreamed discussion immediately following the film premiere.