Led by the phenomenal Cuban pianist and bandleader Aruán Ortiz, (who can be heard on bassist Esperanza Spalding’s debut album), the Camerata Urbana Ensemble refracts Cuban-Haitian traditions through the classical, folkloric, and jazz styles of Santiago de Cuba. Strings, percussion, piano, and flute create a scintillating chamber jazz sound that is as likely to evoke Astor Piazzolla or Arnold Schoenberg as it is the sound of the Caribbean.

The Red Hot series returns to BAM with an all-star showcase of Cuba’s diverse musical heritage—from son to rumba, mambo to timba—as well as its modern incarnations.