Cuban Piano 101: A Century Of Historic Grooves

The first thing I think of when I consider Cuban music is the piano. I've spent most of my adult life playing Afro-Cuban percussion, so you'd think I would hear things differently.

But actually, the piano is technically a percussion instrument in the grand scheme of European symphonic music. Nowhere is that truer than in Cuba, which has a rich legacy of interpreting Africa through the keyboard.

But don't take my word for it. This week, we're joined by pianist, composer and educator Rebeca Mauleón, who serves as Director of Education at SF Jazz. She's been studying and playing Cuban music for about as long as I've known her, and we go back a long time.

Mauleón recently put together a playlist of essential Cuban pianists for a lecture she did at SF Jazz, and she's been kind enough to share that list with us and discuss some of the pianists who've helped shape Cuban music. There are history lessons, sure, but also deep grooves to appreciate on this week's show.

Read Rebeca Mauleón's "Pianísimo: Cuban Piano Titans Across The Ages" at SFJazz.org.