Sometimes, the most beautiful musical encounters happen completely unexpectedly. When Cuban trumpeter Yasek Manzano Silva stepped in at the last minute last year to replace an colleague, who had fallen ill, he immediately won over both the Zurich Jazz Orchestra and its audience. The musical chemistry was extraordinary, and everyone involved knew right away that this collaboration must continue!

Yasek Manzano Silva is one of the leading figures in contemporary Cuban jazz. Born and raised in Havana, he studied at renowned Cuban conservatoires and, later, on a scholarship at the Juilliard School in New York, where he was influenced by Wynton Marsalis, among others. Throughout his career, he has performed with renowned musicians such as Chucho Valdés, Roy Hargrove and Celia Cruz.

Now, the virtuoso trumpeter is returning to Zurich with his own compositions, specially arranged by Ed Partyka for the Zurich Jazz Orchestra. This promises to be an exciting encounter between the Cuban soundscape and the expressive diversity of a modern jazz big band.