This Buena Vista Social Club piano prodigy and Havana Cultura star has grabbed Cuban jazz by the horns and drawn it, hot, stylish and sultry, into the 21st century. Roberto Fonseca looks back to his Caribbean roots while striking forwards with a sensuous lyricism that effortlessly updates Cuba’s musical lineage.

Fonseca is paired tonight  with London’s Family Atlantica whose debut record release last year on Soundway and punchy live shows have quickly won them a following . Their sounds pairs West Africa with Latin America’s Atlantic Coast, with a London  beat firmly in the middle.

The night begins just after 7pm when doors open, with a rare screening of the classic 1964 Cuban film, Nosotros, La Música. Shot in black and white, by the renowned Cuban film director, Rogelio Paris, this atmospheric gem of a film shows a panorama of the golden age of Cuban music. It captures the legendary pianist and band leader Bola de Nieve; an original jam session with the Quinteto Instrumental de Música Moderna; percussion madness from Ana Gloria y Milacho Rivero; orile, or spiritual prayers, from Báyamo and Santiago de Cuba; Elena Burke’s farewell concert at the Consejo Nacional de Cultura; and a blistering performance by El Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro. 

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

‘A fabulously gifted pianist, composer and band leader with a gift for melody that outshines more celebrated peers…one of a new breed who can transcend musical boundaries through sheer quality’ Guardian

‘A genre-busting tour de force… the lyricism of his playing recalls Herbie Hancock but he can animate the courtly dramas of Cuban tradition… a joyous poignant offering’ Observer

‘Sensuous, fresh, modern – Roberto Fonseca brings the piano dazzlingly to life’ Daily Telegraph