Tuesday, 14 April, 2015

8.30 - 11.00pm
£8 on the door

Omar Puente with the East Side Latin All Stars

Tonight we get in the Cuban groove with our good friend Omar Puente and I defy anyone to sit still for long. The infectious cross rhythms from this authentic combo are guaranteed to get the club cooking. Omar began serious music studies at the age of 8. At 12 he left his family to take up a place at the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana. His education was furthered by playing with fellow students and visiting tutors such as Paquito d’Rivera and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1998 he formed the group Raices Cubanas (Cuban Roots). Since arriving in England, Omar has maintained an international profile, playing all over Europe, USA and Africa with such musicians as Tito Puente, Kirsty MacColl, Jools Holland, Courtney Pine and recently Nigel Kennedy 's new, three-electric-violin "Chilling-est Violinists". Omar teaches jazz violin at Leeds College of Music and conducts workshops in schools on the cultural and musical development of Cuba.