KCC Productions and the Van Dyke Cafe present Manuel Valera and The New Cuban Express
Thursday, February 23, at 9 PM
The Van Dyke
846 Lincoln Road
South Beach

featuring Manuel Valera on piano, Felipe Lamoglia on sax, Rene Toledo on guitar, Nestor Del Prado on bass, and Alexis “Pututi” Arce on drums.

For more information, call 305-534-3600 or visit thevandykecafe.com.

This dynamic and prolific artist has recorded five cd’s as a bandleader. His critically acclaimed debut cd “Forma Nueva”, featuring John Patitucci, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Bill Stewart and Seamus Blake, received nationwide airplay and garnered strong reviews in the jazz and music press: Billboard, Jazztimes, Jazziz, All Music Guide and Latin Beat among others. “Historia”, a jazz quartet recording for Fresh Sounds New Talent followed in 2005. Then in 2006 “Melancolia”, which employed a string quartet incorporating world rhythms and classical concepts in the jazz idiom that opened up new vistas of compositional colors and textures across the full range of Valera’s sources. In 2007, “Vientos” represented a new working quartet, featuring bassist James Genus, drummer Ernesto Simpson and saxophonist Joel Frahm. His fifth major recording and most recent work, “Currents”, was released on MaxJazz on October of last year featuring Ernesto Simpson and James Genus.

Manuel’s most recent recognition for “Vientos” is the Jazziz Critics’ Choice for “The Best of 2007” and the “2007 Jazz Twirlies,” a celebration award given to those most worthy in modern jazz. He is a recipient of the 2006 Chamber Music America’s New Works Commission, the 2005 ASCAP Young Composers Award and a final nominee of the 2005 Jazz Journalist Association’s awards in the Up & Coming Musician of the Year category. Manuel also tours with Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval and drummer Dafnis Prieto.