One of Cuba's most internationally acclaimed contemporary pianists — Roberto Fonseca bridges Afro-Cuban tradition, jazz, and contemporary influences with a voice that is entirely his own.
Fonseca grew up in Havana, trained at the Instituto Superior de Arte, and developed a piano style that draws equally from the Cuban classical tradition, Afro-Cuban religious music, jazz, and popular dance music. He came to international attention partly through his work with the Buena Vista Social Club project before establishing himself as a solo artist.
His recordings demonstrate what a pianist fully immersed in Afro-Cuban tradition sounds like when they're also conversant with the wider musical world. The rhythmic sophistication — the way his left hand holds the bass pattern while his right improvises freely — comes directly from the Cuban tradition of playing piano as a percussive-melodic instrument, not a purely harmonic one.