Roberto Fonseca

This Buena Vista Social Club prodigy and Havana Cultura star has grabbed Cuban music by the horns and drawn it, hot, stylish and sultry, into the 21st century. His new album, YO , is out soon and looks back to his Caribbean roots while striking forwards with red-hot grooves, electronic beats and sensuous lyricism that effortlessly updates Cuba’s musical lineage.

The tour line-up features Fonseca on piano and keyboards, Baba Sissoko on African percussion, Joel Hierrezuelo on Cuban percussion, Ramsés Rodríguez on drums, Yandy Martínez on bass, Jorge Chicoy on guitar, Javier Zalba on sax, flute and clarinet and Sekou Kouyate on kora. This group is the sound of things to come in Afro-Cuban music, and with Roberto Fonseca at the helm, it is sure to be one of the live shows to catch in 2012.

Opening for Roberto on this Black Routes tour is Ayanna, the first non-American to win the legendary Amateur Night Live at the Harlem Apollo Theatre, whose beguiling vocals skip and swing over intimate, honey-sweet cello. Her music was recently celebrated in an evening devoted to her work at the Kings Place Festival in London. In 2011 she was commissioned to write a new piece for the Bath Festival, following her first UK tour and residencies at Wigmore Hall and Aldeburgh. She’s recently finished a UK tour with Natty and recording in New York with Kronos Quartet, which neatly captures her full range.

‘It’s a heartbeat for contemporary Afro-Cuban life.’ The Times

Confirmation that the 36-year-old Cuban pianist is one of the most gifted, adventurous spirits of his generation… by turns playful and passionate, YO boasts poise and experimentation in equal measure. **** Observer

YO goes beyond the usual bounds of Afro-Cuban jazz with a mix of melodic and muscular tunes. The Times

‘An elegant line and an unhurried feel for time and space. Fonseca is a star.’ Independent On Sunday

‘Cellist and singer Ayanna Witter-Johnson has to be heard to be believed. Her self-assured style blends vocals with bewitching, and bewildering, celloplaying.’ Time Out

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