Cuban festival to feature Chicago style jazz

The legendary jazz tradition of the US city of Chicago will be represented at the 2020 International Jazz Plaza Festival with the presence of guitarist Stanley Jordan and multi-instrumentalist David Liebman, according to organizers.

Already in its 35th edition, the event once again attracts performers from all over the world and brings together some of the best contemporary jazz musicians.

The inclusion of the likes of Jordan and Liebman add prestige to the line-up of the event, which will take place on different stages of this capital from January 14 to 19. Audiences will also be able to enjoy jazz from other latitudes such as Spain.

Jordan is an exceptional guitarist who has carved out a unique career within jazz by becoming one of the greatest exponents of the technique known as 'touch' or 'tapping,' an unconventional way of playing the instrument.

Meanwhile, Liebman masters instruments such as the saxophone, flute, clarinet, piano and drums. He is also an acclaimed composer and has worked with renowned musicians such as Miles Davis and Chick Corea.

Both have produced an interesting discography that has established them among the most striking jazz musicians of the late 20th and 21st centuries.

In addition to the musicians from Chicago, the Jazz Plaza Festival boasts other figures of renowned prestige in the genre, such as saxophonists Billy Evans and Puerto Rican Miguel Zenon, his fellow countryman Eddie Gomez, and bands from New Orleans, the birthplace of the genre.

The events will also welcome instrumentalists from Spain, Austria, Chile, Holland, Martinique, Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Norway, Australia, Japan, Venezuela, Brazil and Germany, among other countries.

A wide range of the country's best musicians will take to Havana stages, including winners of the National Music Prize, Grammy and Latin Grammy nominees. The program will also feature a tribute to the emblematic Irakere band and diva Omara Portuondo.