Name: Merging Roots: A Jazz Experience with William Cepeda and Elio Villafranca
Start: 2025-07-13T13:00:00
Location: Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center

Elio Villafranca

William Cepeda

Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center

Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center is thrilled to announce a special FREE performance a on Sunday, July 13, featuring the first-ever collaboration between renowned artists Elio Villafranca and William Cepeda. This unique event will honor the musical legacy of Charles Neville, saxophonist and founding member of the Neville Brothers, and explore the deep cultural connections between Cuba, Puerto Rico, and New Orleans. The event will begin with an engaging one-hour community discussion, in which Villafranca and Cepeda will share stories, musical demonstrations, and reflections on the African roots of jazz, Latin, and New Orleans music. Following this, they will take the stage for a dynamic live performance, weaving together New Orleans jazz, funk, second-line rhythms, and Afro-Caribbean traditions, including songs tied to Neville’s enduring influence. This special event is presented in collaboration with FirstWorks in Providence, RI (July 11) and Blues to Green in Springfield, MA (July 12), with generous support from a Chamber Music America grant. The tour brings these powerful musical traditions to communities across New England, building cultural bridges and celebrating the shared heritage of the African diaspora.