The Ringling’s performance program has reflected the ever-evolving landscape of global culture through festivals and programming that are distinctly international. The Art of Performance series has also built a reputation for presenting exceedingly high quality live Jazz from a range of emerging and seasoned practitioners in the Historic Asolo Theater (HAT), which is arguably one of the best venues in the area to experience the genre live. These two curatorial threads are responsible for the burst of Global Jazz that will take the stage in the HAT in spring of 2025.

This season’s Global Jazz series includes musicians from Brazil, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, and an ensemble of New York-based artists who have deep roots in Middle Eastern forms.

Nélida Karr (Equatorial Guinea): In Africa, Jazz found a natural resonance with traditional rhythms and melodies. Artists like Hugh Masekela in South Africa and Manu Dibango in Cameroon blended it with local sounds, creating vibrant new forms of expression. As one of the leaders of a new generation blending African rhythms with Jazz harmonies, Karr's music is a testament to its adaptability in preserving cultural traditions. Her music is a captivating fusion of African rhythms, Spanish influences, and Jazz improvisation. Her rich and emotive vocals reflect historically layered influences. From the polyrhythmic beats of West African music to the melodic strains of Spanish ballads, she absorbed it all. Karr demonstrates how traditional Equatoguinean melodies can be reimagined through a Jazz lens, creating a sound that is both rooted and revolutionary. Karr's scat singing pays homage to icons like Ella Fitzgerald while maintaining the storytelling tradition of African griots, who are tribal storytellers and musicians.

Amir ElSaffar (NYC):  This Iraqi American trumpeter and composer has made significant waves in the Jazz world with his unique fusion of Jazz and traditional Middle Eastern music. ElSaffar's work is particularly notable for its incorporation of maqam, the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, into Jazz frameworks. ElSaffar's trumpet playing is characterized by its haunting, microtonal inflections that evoke the sound of Middle Eastern wind instruments while maintaining the genre’s improvisational spirit. His compositions often feature complex rhythmic structures that blend Jazz swing with Arabic and Persian rhythms, creating a truly cross-cultural musical experience. ElSaffar’s Two Rivers Ensemble reflects how Jazz reverberates in the cradle of civilization: Middle Eastern musicians are incorporating traditional maqam scales and instruments like the oud into Jazz compositions, creating a mesmerizing East-meets-West soundscape.

Alain Pérez (Cuba): Born out of an established lineage of Latin Jazz masters, this virtuoso bassist seamlessly integrates Afro-Cuban rhythms with contemporary Jazz, pushing the boundaries of Latin Jazz. Pérez's journey began in the musical hotbed of Cienfuegos, Cuba. From an early age, he was immersed in the sounds of son, rumba, and timba. However, it was his insatiable curiosity that led him to explore Jazz as a language, creating a unique sound that respects tradition while pushing boundaries. Pérez's bass lines, for instance, often follow the clave rhythm central to Cuban music, but his improvisations soar with the freedom of Jazz. His album El Alma del Son: Tributo a Matamoros is a prime example of his artistry. Here, Pérez pays homage to the legendary Miguel Matamoros while infusing the classic son with modern Jazz harmonies. The result is a sound that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.

Lívia Mattos (Brazil):  Lívia Mattos is a Brazilian accordionist and circus artist who has emerged as a powerful voice in the world of Jazz fusion. Her unique approach to the accordion—an instrument often associated with traditional folk music—demonstrates the instrument's versatility and potential in contemporary Jazz settings. Mattos's playing style wildly blends the rich rhythms of Brazilian forró and choro with the improvisational freedom of Jazz, creating a sound that is both familiar and cutting edge. Uniquely charming, her performances are characterized by their dynamic range, from delicate, introspective passages to explosive, rhythmically complex sections that showcase her virtuosic technique. Her ability to incorporate elements of Brazilian folk music into a Jazz context not only pays homage to her cultural roots but also contributes to the ongoing dialogue between traditional forms and modern Jazz expressions.

Tickets are available online at: https://www.ringling.org/explore/art-of-performance/