Aruán Ortiz

Cuban pianist and composer based in Brooklyn, Aruán Ortiz presents a solo piano recital at CentroCentro as part of JAZZMADRID, with a repertoire that brings together classical piano, Cuban folklore and improvisation.

Aruán Ortiz is a pianist and composer born in Santiago de Cuba, trained in viola and classical piano. From a young age he listened to Bach, Mozart and Liszt, as well as the jazz of Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum and Bud Powell. He has been living in Brooklyn, New York, for years.

His work combines rhythms of African origin and traditions from Asia and the Middle East with contemporary avant-garde. He has collaborated with Esperanza Spalding, Don Byron and Arturo Stable, and has written for orchestras, jazz groups, dance companies, chamber ensembles and film. He received the Doris Duke Impact Award in 2014 and was named best arranger of the year by Latin Jazz Corner in 2011. He also reached the semi-finals of the Montreux solo piano competition. His project Transculturalism: A Postmodern Métissage, premiered in New York, blends musical experimentation, literature and Afro-Caribbean heritage.

At CentroCentro, as part of JAZZMADRID, Aruán Ortiz performs solo at the piano, with no further accompaniment. His approach transposes the rhythms of Cuba into the language of contemporary jazz, with constant room for improvisation.