A six-time Grammy nominee, Omar Sosa launched his career as a solo artist here in the Bay Area and lived in Oakland until relocating to Barcelona, Spain where he’s been embraced by a European audience with open arms for years now. But the Bay Area is Sosa’s second home and he returns to start a five-night residency at SFJAZZ on Thursday, March 5 and goes through Sunday, March 8, with a cast of collaborators that include the Stanford Jazz Orchestra, violinist Yilian Cañizares, his Quarteto Americanos with drum luminary Josh Jones, wind master Sheldon Brown, and ace bassist Ernesto Mazar Kindelán. It all concludes with his Suba Trio featuring African Kora master, Seckou Keita and Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. Check details at SFJAZZ.org.
But you’re in luck if you can’t make any of Omar’s shows at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco because he’ll be performing live on KCSM JAZZ 91 on Thurs. Feb.12 starting at 2:00pm (PST) with his Quartet Americanos from Studio 91, KCSM’s live performance venue. Tune in at 91.1 FM or KCSM.org.
It’s an honor to welcome Omar Sosa who is a musical visionary whose accomplishments have garnered him worldwide recognition and numerous awards. But it’s his spirit and creative curiosity that continue to propel him to pursue new frontiers. His performances are not shows but ceremony and we’re blessed to have him on the planet at this time illuminating our lives with a unifying force and upliftment and visiting us here at JAZZ 91.
by: Jesse "Chuy" Varela