U.S. jazz band and Cuban flutist Maracas together in concert

July 15, 2019

The American jazz group Synthesis offered a concert this Saturday in Havana, where they had as a guest Cuban instrumentalist, composer and arranger Orlando Valle (Maraca).

The recital took place in the Covarrubias Hall of the National Theater, this was the second presentation of the ensemble in the Cuban capital, which also has planned performances in the provinces of Matanzas and Cienfuegos.

The formation, coming from Brigham Young University (BYU), in the American state of Utah, visits the Caribbean nation with a group of students from that institution of higher learning incorporated into its roster for the presentations.

Synthesis already shared the stage with the local Jazz Band directed by maestro Joaquín Betancourt, one of the most recognized musicians of the genre on the largest island of the Antilles.

The group's following performances are scheduled for today, the 15th, in the José White Hall in Matanzas, and the 16th at the Tomas Terry theater in Cienfuegos.

Synthesis's program in Cuba also includes academic meetings, conferences, and visits to the recording studios of the Company of Recordings and Musical Editions (EGREM) and other places of cultural interest.

The American group, founded by K. Newell Dayley and directed by Ray Smith, performed at important jazz events in its country of origin and the rest of the world, such as the Montreux Jazz Festivals in Switzerland; North Sea Jazz in Holland, and the Jazz Festival in Finland.

In its repertoire it combines styles such as swing, blues, jazz, Latin sonorities and fusion.