© 2024 WBGO
Discover Jazz...Anywhere, Anytime, on Any Device.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Cuban Pianist Omar Sosa Flows Across Musical Cultures, on The Checkout

Yannick Perrin
Omar Sosa

If jazz is all about fluidity — in terms of cultural exchange, and convergences of style — that's a situation well suited to the Cuban artist Omar Sosa. His most recent Zen-like album even bears an aquaeous title, Transparent Water

This spiritual pianist and composer’s new offering blends musical traditions from West Africa to the Americas to the Far East. Its foundation, a trio that makes its New York City debut at Roulette on Thursday, consists of the Senegalese griot and kora master Seckou Keita and the Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. As we discuss on this Checkout podcast, they're joined by Meiko Miyazaki on Japanese koto and Wu Tong on Chinese sheng, among others.

Watch Omar Sosa's transfixing video of "Dary" below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ehr_s-9S0E

The Checkout podcast was just named Best Jazz Podcast of 2017 in the JazzTimes Critics Poll. Subscribe and give us a review of the program on iTunes and Stitcher.

Stay Connected
For more than 15 years, Simon Rentner has worked as a host, producer, broadcaster, web journalist, and music presenter in New York City. His career gives him the opportunity to cover a wide spectrum of topics including, history, culture, and, most importantly, his true passion of music from faraway places such as Europe, South America, and Africa.