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OLD LYME – Over the past seven years, renowned Canadian jazz saxophonist Jane Bunnett and Maqueque – a group of five musicians from Cuba – have become one of the top jazz groups in North America, and in the past year have brought their vibrant sound to festivals from Newport to Monterey.
On Saturday, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque will stop in Old Lyme for a one-night-only show at The Side Door Jazz Club at the Old Lyme Inn.
Bunnett – winner of five Juno awards and nominated for three Grammy awards – first began digging into Cuban music after visiting the country in 1982. Over the years, she has worked to arrange tours for Cuban musicians.
She helped form Maqueque in 2014 as a way to feature and mentor young women musicians from Cuba. The band features Bunnett on the soprano saxophone and flute, Joanna Tendai Majoko on vocals, Mary Paz on congas and vocals, Dánae Olano on piano, Tailin Marrero on bass and Yissy Garcia on drums.
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque’s third and most recent album On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme was released in 2019, and shows “the unmistakable confidence of a band that has found its voice, and is eager to speak with it,” J.D. Considine of DownBeat magazine wrote.
Tickets to their show in Old Lyme are available for $50 for adults and $30 for students.