Michael Olivera & The Cuban Jazz Syndicate

Cuban master drummer Michael Olivera

Cuban master drummer Michael Olivera is a great name in Latin jazz. Piano hero Chucho Valdés praises the way in which he mixes Afro-Cuban music with jazz and flamenco, among other things. But Michael Olivera also has a glorious career outside of Latin. He has collaborated with Quincy Jones, Sting, Tomatito and Yonathan Avishai, among others. In The Cuban Jazz Syndicate he forms a unity with no fewer than six other Cuban virtuosos: a true Latin jazz spectacle!

Michael Olivera learned all about Cuban music at the National School of Art in Havana. He played with the most important musicians on the island and traveled all over the world. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo wrote: 'Olivera surprises not only with his virtuosity with drumsticks and drums, but also with his ability to immerse himself in music, composing very personal Latin jazz that draws heavily on many traditions, such as that of the Yoruba songbook, Cuban jazz and jazz from elsewhere in the world.'