Elio Villafranca and the Jass Syncopators
Tickets $20 online, $25 at the door
Doors: 6:30 PM. Showtime: 7:00 PM
The Fallser Club is proud to partner with
Satellite Sound at The Fallser Club, co-curated with WRTI’s J. Michael Harrison — where fearless jazz meets the future.
Ticket Link Here
Boundary-pushing music, rooted in the creative fire of Painted Bride and amplified for the world to hear.
Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist-composer Elio Villafranca brings his powerhouse ensemble The Jass Syncopators to Philadelphia for an unforgettable night of Afro-Caribbean rhythms, hard-swinging jazz, and fearless improvisation.
Pianist-composer Elio Villafranca is a visionary force in contemporary jazz. Cuban-born and classically trained, the Grammy-nominated, Guggenheim Fellow, and Steinway Artist returns to the Bride’s orbit with his powerhouse ensemble The Jass Syncopators. Rooted in deep tradition, bold arrangements, and immersive storytelling, Villafranca delivers a musical expedition across the African diaspora, powered by Afro-Caribbean rhythms and hard-swinging jazz—that will captivate both devoted fans and first-time listeners.
Hailed by DownBeat as “the latest in a decades-long line of Cuban musicians who have integrated African, European and Pan-American musical concepts,” Villafranca channels the grandeur of Duke Ellington and McCoy Tyner, crafting compositions that “narrate with references to the Haitian Revolution and the free Maroon colonies of runaway slaves.” His celebrated album Cinque, performed with The Jass Syncopators, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album, a 4.5-star DownBeat review, and recognition among Japan’s “50 Best Jazz Albums of 2018.”
From Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, from Haiti to his native Cuba, this top-tier supergroup of soloists and master percussionists takes audiences on a journey where deep tradition meets fearless innovation. Expanding Jelly Roll Morton’s Spanish Tinge into his own Caribbean Tinge, Villafranca creates music packed with passion, precision, and an irresistible groove.
Lineup: Elio Villafranca (piano/compositions), Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Sam Dillon (tenor sax), Gregg August (bass), Joel de Jesus (drums), Carlos Maldonado (percussion)
As Elio Villafranca translates freedom stories through Afro-Caribbean rhythms, deep tradition, and bold improvisation, Satellite Sound amplifies music as a living archive of resilience, resistance, and renewal.
By Car or By Train
The East Falls Train Station is a short walk from the Fallser Club. Parking in East Falls is no problem! There is ample free on-street parking near the East Falls train station driveway at 3610 Midvale Ave and a paid municipal lot three blocks away at 4100 Ridge Ave. Midvale Ave and Ridge Ave are both well-lit!