Led by percussion master Johnny Conga and piano virtuoso Orlando Fiol, the JAZZ ROOM will be bursting with the electrifying sound of the clave and other traditional rhythms in this exciting tribute to the music of Cuba. The large ensemble will be re-imaging a medley of Latin jazz and afro-Cuban standards such as Dizzy Gillespie’s “Manteca”, the Buena Vista Social Club’s “Trova Santiaguera”, and Irakere's “Calzada del Cerro”. $14 in advance. $16 at the door. It’s a Latin Jazz celebration that’s guaranteed to make you want to move. Your dancing shoes are welcome!
The Jazz Room @ The Stage Door Theater provides a casual and intimate setting with tables and a full bar, reminiscent of the classic jazz rooms of yesteryear.
Johnny Conga is an ethnomusicologist, Afro-Cuban, Caribbean drumming, and Latin Jazz specialist. He has been performing Latin Jazz for 50 years, with 17 International World tours to over 50 countries. He has performed with major artists such as Carlos Santana, the Jackson 5, Gloria Estefan, Gloria Gaynor, and over 100 others. His musical accomplishments include over 200 recordings. You can listen to Johnny as radio host on WDNA Fusion Latina 88.9FM.
Orlando Fiol has earned a lifetime of musical achievements from his early exposure to the basics of Latin percussion: conga, bongo, timbal, maraca, clave and guiro, to his study of classical, jazz, and Hindustani classical music. Fiol traveled to Cuba to be initiated to the consecrated batá drums of Pancho Quinto. He played with many luminaries of Cuban music: Changuito, members of Sierra Maestra, Raices Profunda and the Sexteto Habanero. Fiol has many musical interests and has forged a career, privately teaching jazz and Latin piano, improvisation and arranging, Latin percussion, liturgical Cuban percussion and tabla. He has a working jazz duo, trio and quartet, a Latin jazz quartet and an Afro-Cuban ensemble. Fiol has a PHD in ethnomusicology from the University of Pennsylvania.