Cuban Chords Ring Out at Russia's Winter Arts Festival

The XIX International Winter Arts Festival dressed itself in elegance as the Cuban saxophone quintet Cuban Sax Quintet and percussionist Mandy Osuna took the stage, festival organizers announced Tuesday.

The Winter Theater in Sochi — the Eurasian nation's celebrated host city for the musical gathering — welcomed the jazz program presented by the Caribbean island's performers, who infused the audience with the characteristic warmth of Cuban artistry.

"We have a fairly diverse repertoire. We play some jazz, but above all Cuban music, developed with influences from other rhythms and styles," said Germán Velazco, the ensemble's founder and leader, in remarks to journalists ahead of the performance.

The musicians from the largest of the Antilles opened the evening with the original composition Allegro (a Párraga), which, according to the Cuban Sax Quintet's director, was inspired by the Havana neighborhood where he grew up. The quintet also dedicated one of its pieces to German composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Percussionist Osuna noted that the group incorporates elements of improvisation into their performances while consistently preserving the characteristic sounds of Antillean rhythms. Saxophonist Evaristo Denis, for his part, highlighted the similarities between Havana and Sochi, both cities surrounded by the sea, distinguished only by their temperatures, and praised the multicultural spirit of the artistic gathering.

"This is a very interesting festival, one that brings together different art forms and different cultures from various parts of the world — a truly enriching blend," he emphasized.

The Cuban saxophone quintet is the recipient of the Grand Prize at the Cubadisco Music Awards in the category of Best Instrumental Album, awarded in 2019. Cuban Sax Quintet is a one-of-a-kind musical project representing a remarkable fusion of Cuban musical tradition and the spirit of modern jazz. The ensemble features saxophonists Germán Velasco, César López, Jorge Ramírez, Evaristo Denis, and Joel Ramírez, alongside percussionist Mandy Osuna. Together, they weave a symbiosis of wind instruments and percussion that celebrates Cuba's musical diversity, from the subtlety of counterpoint to infectious rhythm.

Attendees of the XIX International Winter Arts Festival have been immersed in the cold waters of the Black Sea that surround Sochi since the event's opening on February 18, running through March 1. The gathering brings together distinguished performers, artists, emerging talents, music researchers, cultural management specialists, and journalists from multiple nations. Over the course of two weeks, the festival unfolds a program that includes concerts spanning diverse genres, creative workshops, photography exhibitions, and professional forums for music industry figures.