A musician extraordinaire--composer, arranger, pianist, percussionist, improvisator, and communicator—Omar Sosa has performed numerous concerts all around the world.

He’s the winner of the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Jazz Album category, and the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Smithsonian Associates in Washington, D.C. for contribution to the development of Latin jazz in the United States.

Omar Sosa brings his amazing talents to Harris Center for the Arts as part of the Four Slices of Cuba series, a Cuban music festival!

The New AfroCuban Quartet marks a homecoming for Omar to the influences of his formative years at the Escuela Nacional de Música in Havana and later at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, where he savored the music of Pancho Quinto, Lázaro Ross, Rubén González, Machito, Benny Moré, Ismael Rivera, Arsenio, Cachao, Lili Martinez, Peruchin, Chucho Valdés and Irakere.

Joining him on this adventure are three musicians with whom Omar shares a very close relationship: fellow Camagüeyanos, Ernesto Simpson on drums, and Leandro Saint-Hill on saxophones and flutes, and Mozambican bassist and longtime collaborator, Childo Tomas. These musicians speak the same musical language, and use their Cuban and African traditions as a springboard for creative freedom.

Omar’s New AfroCuban Quartet will explore contemporary interpretations of some of the classic Cuban musical styles the world has come to enjoy: Danzón, Cha-Cha-Cha, Bolero, Changui.

All of the material is informed by the powerful African traditions of Santería, Abakua, Makuta, Ñongo, and Palo Monte. The group’s repertoire will include a number of Mr. Sosa’s signature compositions, including “Toridanzón,” “Mis Tres Notas,” and “Iyawo.” Popular and religious chants will be arranged with contemporary harmonies and African rhythms, resulting in a musical journey into the ensemble’s personal vision of various AfroCuban traditions.

Omar Sosa New AfroCuban Quartet will perform Friday, July 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at $19-$29; Premium $39; Students with ID $12. Tickets are available online at harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

For more information, please visit harriscenter.net.

Post information and picture courtesy of Harris Center for the Arts.