The Michael Eckroth Trio presents music from their recent recordings, emphasizing Cuban and Afro-Antillean roots through a series of original compositions and reimaginings of known jazz works. Equal parts roots Latin jazz, forward-looking experimentalism, and empathetic trio music, this fresh combination of influences will surely be enjoyed.

Band Members:
Michael Eckroth - Piano
Joel Mateo - Drums
Raul Reyes - Bass

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“Mike Eckroth is ... a modern renaissance musician with the kind of insights into the music that will surprise you.” - Raul DaGama, Latin Jazz Network
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Michael Eckroth is an active performer in New York and around the world, having worked extensively with jazz icons such as John Scofield, Ron McClure, Eliot Zigmund, and Paul McCandless. Equally at home in jazz and Latin American music forms, Eckroth received a Grammy nomination for his work on the 2018 self-titled Cuban music album by Orquesta Akokán. He earned a PhD from New York University; received the Fulbright Scholar Award for 2023–2024 for an international project in Minas Gerais, Brazil; and is currently professor of jazz music at Florida International University. While living in New York for more than 15 years, Eckroth performed on stages including the Blue Note, Dizzy’s, Birdland, 55 Bar, Zinc Bar, Smalls, and Lincoln Center’s summer stage. Eckroth has also performed in international venue and festival settings including the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie; the North Sea Jazz Festival; Jazz al Parque; Salsa al Parque in Bogotá, Colombia; SFJazz; and WOMAD Festivals in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Joel Mateo, a drummer and percussionist from Ponce, Puerto Rico, has played or recorded with international artists such as Papo Vázquez, Miguel Zenón, Andy Gonzalez, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Tego Calderón, Elio Villafranca, Mitch Frohman, and La Mala Rodriguez. He began his musical studies at the Escuela Libre de Música Juan Morell Campos in Ponce, completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico, and earned a Master of Arts from the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York City. Currently a resident of Brooklyn, NY, Mateo actively participates in the New York City musician community.

Cuban-born bassist and composer Raul Reyes moved to the United States in 2010 to find a new direction in his musical career. Reyes has been described as a bassist with an “advanced sense of rhythm, beautiful sound, time and solos.” Reyes’s versatility in traditional jazz and contemporary jazz trends has earned him opportunities to work with artists such as Geoffrey Keezer, Arturo O’Farrill, Tia Fuller, Victor Lewis, among many others. In 2021, Reyes moved to New York City to attend The Juilliard School. Since then, he has often been seen performing at premier jazz clubs such as Birdland, Dizzy’s, Smalls, Mezzrow, and Blue Note.