Latin Jazz Network

09/07/2026

Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference 2026: The Artists Shaping Canada’s Multicultural Sound

The Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference returns September 25–27, 2026, bringing an extraordinary cross-section of Canada’s multicultural music community to the National Arts Centre.

This year’s lineup brings together Cuban tradition, Brazilian chamber jazz, Caribbean steelpan, Latin American song and fearless contemporary improvisation.

Meet the artists: Hilario Durán & Jorge Luis “Papiosco” Torres, Joy Lapps Project, Orlando Cardoso Trio, Oná Ensemble, João Lenhari, Adis Rodríguez, Rachelle Behrens, and Anh Phung & Civil Lizard.

In our new Latin Jazz Network feature, we take a closer look at the musicians behind this year’s conference—and at what their remarkably different musical journeys tell us about the evolving identity of Latin jazz in Canada.

Three days. Many cultures. One evolving musical conversation.

Read the full story at LatinJazzNet.com.

Miguel de Armas
Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference
Latin Hub Canada
Lilien Trujillo Photos

08/28/2026

Alex Hamburger & José Luiz Martins Turn Shared Memories into “Catalog of Dreams”

Flutist/vocalist Alex Hamburger and Brazilian pianist José Luiz Martins turn six years of musical and personal collaboration into Catalog of Dreams, an intimate new album in which Brazilian traditions, chamber jazz, folk and contemporary sounds share the same imaginative space. From Gilberto Gil and Airto Moreira to Wayne Shorter and Thundercat, the duo transforms familiar compositions through breath, silence, groove and remarkable harmonic empathy. Released August 14 on Challenge Records, Catalog of Dreams is less a collection of influences than a portrait of two musicians who have learned to listen deeply to one another.

Read the full review at https://latinjazznet.com/ux1f

08/25/2026

Miguel de Armas on the Future of Latin Jazz and the Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference 2026
https://latinjazznet.com/8bk2

The Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference returns for its third edition in September 2026.

For this article, Latin Jazz Network editor Danilo Navas spoke with Cuban pianist, composer and artistic director Miguel de Armas about how the conference has evolved, the extraordinary multicultural talent emerging across Canada, the importance of music education, Afro-Cuban rhythms, emerging artists and the growing sense of belonging around Latin jazz in Canada.

They also talked about Hilario Durán, the role of the National Arts Centre, and Miguel's vision for the future of the conference.

“There is no exclusivity here. There is inclusivity.”

Read the full article on Latin Jazz Network.

08/17/2026

The Latin Side of Chick Corea: Conrad Herwig Reimagines a Jazz Master

Three decades after launching his celebrated Latin Side series, Conrad Herwig turns to one of modern jazz's most adventurous composers. The Latin Side of Chick Corea reimagines classics including “Matrix,” “500 Miles High,” “Windows,” “Crystal Silence” and “Spain” through the pulse of clave and the language of Afro-Caribbean jazz.

Joined by Craig Handy, Alex Norris, Bill O'Connell, Ruben Rodriguez, Robby Ameen and Mauricio Herrera, Herwig doesn't simply add Latin rhythms to Corea's compositions—he uncovers rhythmic possibilities already embedded within them.

The result is a vibrant meeting of harmonic sophistication, improvisational fire and Afro-Caribbean propulsion, as well as a fitting celebration of the 30th anniversary of Herwig's Latin Side project.

Read our full review on latinjazznet.com

Conrad Herwig
HighNote-Savant Records
Jason Byrne

08/14/2026

A Baritone Between Cultures: Christopher Sánchez’s “Latin Jazz Meets Opera”

Opera meets the Caribbean on Christopher Sánchez’s ambitious debut, Latin Jazz Meets Opera.

The Dominican-rooted New York baritone reimagines music by Bizet, Mozart and Delibes alongside “Quien Será,” “Bachata Rosa,” “Quizás, Quizás” and an original tribute to his heritage, “Un Retoño de Santiago.”

With soprano Jazmine Saunders, pianist and orchestrator Dayramir González and an ensemble of Latin jazz musicians and classical strings, Sánchez creates much more than a crossover recording. This is a musical autobiography shaped by migration, memory, romance and Dominican identity.

Read the full review on latinjazznet.com

Christopher Sánchez
Dayramir González
Jim Eigo

08/14/2026

Airto Moreira: Brazil’s Rhythmic Visionary and Global Jazz Pioneer

Airto Moreira is one of the great rhythmic architects of modern jazz. Born in Brazil and shaped by samba, baião, Afro-Brazilian percussion, popular song and improvisation, Airto brought a new sound world into contemporary jazz — one filled with berimbau, cuíca, pandeiro, whistles, chants, hand percussion, vocal colours and spiritual energy.

His career connects some of the most important chapters in jazz fusion history: Miles Davis’s electric revolution, Chick Corea’s original Return to Forever, Weather Report, CTI Records, Flora Purim, Fourth World and decades of global music exploration. But Airto’s legacy is not only about famous collaborations. It is about how he changed the role of percussion itself, making rhythm a central voice in jazz composition and improvisation.

Our new feature explores Airto Moreira’s life, style, discography, awards and enduring impact on Brazilian jazz, Afro-Caribbean music and the global language of jazz.

Read the full feature on latinjazznet.com

Photo of Airto Moreira by Maria Bacelar

Airto Moreira
Flora Purim
Ricardo Bacelar

08/14/2026

What does modern Latin jazz sound like when virtuosity, tradition and pure rhythmic pleasure meet in the same room?

On 3Discovery, Cuban-born pianist and composer Kemuel Roig offers a persuasive answer. Joined by bassist Samuel Burgos and drummer Juan Armando Díaz, Roig transforms the classic piano trio into a remarkably agile vehicle for Afro-Cuban rhythm, contemporary jazz harmony and fearless improvisation.

Across eight originals and three imaginative arrangements, the trio moves effortlessly through conga, mambo, cha-cha-cha, danzón, post-bop and even fusion. “Conga Jazz” channels the energy of Santiago de Cuba's carnival tradition; “Vida” celebrates the pianistic lineage of Chucho Valdés; “El Secreto de sus Ojos” reveals Roig's lyrical side; and the expansive “Freedom” adds Gary Galimidi's electric guitar to an intoxicating mixture of Afro-Cuban tumbao and rock-inflected harmony.

Yet 3Discovery's greatest strength is its chemistry: three musicians listening, reacting and discovering together.

Read our full review at latinjazznet.com and discover one of 2026's compelling Cuban jazz recordings.

Kemuel Roig
Lydia Liebman Promotions

08/14/2026

There is music that displays technique—and music that reminds us why human beings make art.

On Handmade, Latin GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer Emilio Solla reunites with La Inestable de Brooklyn for a deeply crafted celebration of touch, collaboration and musical imagination. Moving organically among tango, Argentine folklore, modern jazz and chamber music, the album transforms memory, grief, migration and artistic devotion into a vivid nine-piece orchestral language.

Our new review explores the pandemic-inspired Suite de los Abrazos, the border-crossing symbolism of “Bird Song,” the meeting of tango and Miles Davis on “Miles Tango,” and the distinctive contributions of Sara Caswell, Tim Armacost, Rodolfo Zanetti, Edward Perez, Rogério Boccato, Sofía Tosello and the full ensemble.

In an age of artificial convenience, Handmade makes a compelling case for music created through breath, touch, discipline and trust.

Read the full review on LatinJazzNet.com

Emilio Solla Music
EL CLUB DEL DISCO

08/13/2026

Brazilian mandolin virtuoso Hamilton de Holanda opens a new creative chapter with Nova, a wide-ranging album that brings the traditions of Brazilian instrumental music into conversation with contemporary jazz and sounds from Africa, India, the Caribbean and the Middle East.

Hamilton de Holanda releases Nova, a global Brazilian jazz project, and unveils the contemplative visualizer for “Mono no Aware.”